Pain That I'm Used To
by BuildMeUpButtercup-x
Summary: Hurt can define you, it will lead you down either one of two roads. Which one will it lead Buffy down and how can Angel help her? Buffy/Angel. AU
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.**

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><p>Only the hue from the street lamps outside illuminated the room, she walked over to the bed and took in the form of his muscular body, relaxed on the bed, deep in sleep. Buffy smirked, it was just like him not to be awake this early in the night– he loved his sleep.<p>

She crawled into bed and slid her arm over his torso, feeling the muscles in his stomach. Inhalation of his scent drove her insane. He always smelled amazing.

He stirred from her touch, even in the depths of slumber his body reacted to hers. Angel blinked his eyes until he was awake then smirked – crawling into his bed was something he was used too.

"Buffy" he breathed out her name. The petite female behind him stiffened. He rolled over so he was facing her; she looked like she had been crying. He ran his arm over her body and pulled her close "tell me what happened"

After a few moments of silence she let out a sigh "It's my mom and dad… I went home today, they were arguing… again" the room fell under silence.

Angel sighed, knowing her as well as he did, he could tell she was still in denial. As far as she was aware, her parent's relationship was concrete; to everyone else it was a front for their darker side. Hank got _around_, Joyce shrunk back into the depths of alcohol.

He pulled her close, all he wanted to do was kiss her but he knew it was wrong, instead he squeezed her reassuringly "…Just go to sleep" he felt her relax and not long after her breathing evened out, she had succumbed to her tiredness.

Angel pressed a kiss to her forehead, although he wouldn't admit it to her, but he loved her. They had known each other for years but recently he could tell that it went further for him, there was just something about her that drove him crazy.

When he woke up he could tell she hadn't slept well that night, she had been tense and had whimpered during her sleep, even in dreamland she could not catch a break, and she still wrestled with her demons.

Her body was curled up, still pressed against him, it ached that she fit perfectly in his embrace. She rolled over so she was facing him, a sleepy smile graced her face, he loved waking up with her, it didn't happen often but it made him happy.

Buffy's hands went around his neck pulling him closer, she was thankful that he allowed her to stay. Of course she had crawled in through a window in the spare bedroom, she was lucky he didn't find that strange.

Angel ran his fingers over her arm; it took a lot of strength not to run them down her waist and under her trousers. Her skin was soft and delicate; he knew that if he could, he would stay like this all day.

"Angel, I want to say thank you" she smiled weakly at him "It was just last night… was difficult" she couldn't look him in the eye, all she could do was stare lower, his chiselled chin was rough under the growth of stubble, his lips parted slightly.

He took a moment to think of his reply "Buffy… you can stay here as long as you like, you're more than welcome"

Even though they had been through a lot she didn't know if she could still bring him into the middle of her family problems. He was one of the best men she had ever met but it wasn't fair to drag him in "No, I don't want to disrupt your life"

She was already disrupting his life; all he thought of was her. It pained him that she had a troubled life, her father was a well respected surgeon who everyone loved, despite his indiscretions and temper. Money loves money.

What frustrated him the most was he could arrest Hank, he was well liked by his fellow officers but there was no proof of Hank doing what he done, if he did what would he arrest him on? Being a dick?

"Just say you'll think about it?" his touch deepened on her skin, his fingers began massaging her hip, he could feel her react to his touch, instinctively she arched against him.

"I will" Buffy pulled out of his grip, the tingle on her skin left from his touch was clouding her senses. She truly cared for him but she didn't know if she wanted to take things further, going by past experiences, men got what they wanted then ditched her.

That was something she didn't want to think about. Angel _was_ different to other men; he saw her at her worst and was still there for her. He knew most of her dirty secrets yet still treated her the same way. He was great.

She ran her hands over her face "everything will be better today" Angel didn't know if she said it to convince him or to convince herself, but he knew that everything wasn't fine.

Buffy got out of bed and headed for the shower, she needn't ask, she treated his home like it was her own. Angel watched her leave then sighed, she was still in a young mindset that everything works out, and sure she was eight years his junior but she didn't act like it.

He didn't realise how quick time passed when he was deep in thought, she came back into his room wearing his favourite sweatshirt, it came down past her thighs, she had already rolled the sleeves up as they were too long as well.

She smiled sheepishly at him "I put my clothes on to wash…" she came back over and sat beside him on the bed, her fingers running through his messy hair. He closed his eyes; her fingers massaged his scalp in a soothing way.

Buffy stopped stroking his hair a while later once she realised he had fallen asleep from her touch, his usual broody face was serene, it was rare for him to look like this. She didn't know what came over her but she leaned over and pressed her lips to his, before grabbing her clothes and leaving.

Oooooooooooooo

Stealthily, she made her way across the garden and up the trellis that rested upon the side of their house. She reached the small balcony then let herself into her bedroom.

"What would your mother say if she knew you've been out all night" Buffy jumped as she heard the malevolence in his voice, she turned around slowly to glare at her father. They never cared what she got up to these days, all they cared about themselves.

Instead of answering him she strode passed him to throw her bag into the closet, he took a hold of her shoulders gently so he could face her "Buffy, my girl… I'm sorry, things got a little tense…" he smiled widely at her as he could see her face lighten up.

"How about I take you for some shopping… then out to dinner?" Buffy nodded lightly, one minute he'd be cold then the next he'd be the loving father he was when she was a child. Besides, shopping always made her happy.

Hank patted her on the shoulder; manipulation was something he was good at. Frankly she was being insolent and putting his reputation on the line. She'd be treated with some nice things then he'd set the record straight.

After a few hours of buying clothes and shoes, they ate at her favourite restaurant before heading home. Buffy kissed her father's cheek then took the bags upstairs, this afternoon was refreshing, it was a nice change for him to be loving lately.

She had finished putting away her new purchases when she heard her father enter the room; he ran his hands over the side of her cheek, looking into her eyes "Pumpkin…"

Buffy winced when he gripped her neck hard, his eyes had went deadly cold "Now, from what I've heard you've been hanging around a rough crowd… drugs, alcohol… Buffy, I won't stand for this, what would people think?"

He punched her ribs causing her to yelp in pain "Now now, be a good girl… get your act together or you won't be allowed to stay here for much longer" he hit her in the ribs again before leaving her curled up on the floor of her room.

Buffy wiped away the tears that ran down her face, it was true that she'd been tangled up in the wrong crowd but it was just for attention, she was fed up of being the perfect little girl, she wanted her father to pay more attention.

The ache from her ribs only got worse as she cried; she crawled into her closet and locked the door from the inside. That was the last straw, she couldn't live here anymore. Things used to be good but it was getting worse.

Truth be told she should have moved out when she was eighteen, but Hank was smart. Her trust fund would kick in once she turns 21, for now he gave her an allowance but got mad if she spent her money anywhere he deemed unworthy.

She rummaged around one of the boxes in the back of the closet to pull out a bundle of money that she'd been hiding for months, she rolled it in an old sock then pushed it down the bottom of her back pack, a paper trail wouldn't be wise.

She shouldered on her heavy jacket and pushed her hands inside the pockets; this jacket was warm and looked a little worn, wearing high end clothes in less off neighbourhoods would be asking for trouble.

Buffy frowned as her fingers came into contact with something deep inside the pocket; she pulled it out to investigate. The tiny zip lock bag she pinched between her fingers contained a couple of pills. It was something that she had paid for at the last _party_ she had attended.

She toyed with the plastic for a moment thinking over her options, in that moment, feeling as she did, she popped one pill in her mouth and swallowed, she wanted to feel anything other than the pain and hate that coursed through her.

She finished packing her back bag then made her way out the way she had came in earlier that day, staying out of sight she left her home, she tried to get in contact to see if there was any parties going but she was told no.

It didn't take her long to make her way back to his house, she crept passed the garden and climbed up the tree that extended towards the spare bedrooms window. Silently she let herself in like the night before and made her way to his room.

Angel looked up from the book he was reading, she stood before him, her eyes puffy and her face tear stricken, without saying anything he came over to her and pulled her into a hug. She muffled out a cry when her body came into contact with his.

"Whats wrong?" he pulled her face back so he could look deep into her eyes, she only blinked at him giving nothing away, she pulled her jacket off showing that it hurt her to move certain ways. He could feel anger rise within him that she was hurt.

Before he could say anything she placed her hand on his cheek and shook her head "Don't" without saying anything more she leaned up to kiss him, her arms wrapped around his neck to pull him closer.

It took him by surprise as her tongue forced its way inside his mouth to deepen the kiss, despite being dwarfed by his large frame; she had managed to push him back onto the bed.

He felt like his head was swimming, her touch, her taste it was over powering him, when he felt her hands go to the waistband of his joggers he stiffened. It took all of his willpower to push her off of him; he could see she was in a state.

"…Buffy" he looked over at her, her eyes were filling up with tears at his rejection. She tried to leave the bed but he pulled her against his chest, locking her in his embrace.

Buffy wanted nothing more than to leave, her high was wearing off and she wanted to take comfort in him but he was refusing her. The fact that he had refused meant that he didn't think she was worth it, it stung.

Angel held her tight as she thrashed against him; he whispered soothing words into her ear to calm her down. Eventually she stopped moving but her sobs wracked through her body, he ran his hand up and down her back.

Oooooooooooooo

He blinked his eyes open slowly, the glare from the sun found a crack in the blinds that shone directly at him, he looked around his room and was alone. He must have fallen asleep; Buffy was nowhere to be seen.


	2. Chapter 2

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><p>Angel sat at his desk and frowned, Buffy had fled his house nine days ago, since then he had no contact from her. Even when she would disappear for days at a time to only god knows where she would call him to let him know she was fine.<p>

He couldn't put out a missing persons report because for all he knew she really was away to blow off some steam, he tried calling her cell but it was off, he even kept an eye out for outgoing calls so he could approximate her location – but there was none.

"Still looking for goldilocks?" Angel glared over to his friend, the officer had a smirk on his face "You know she'll be back, she always comes back mate"

Angel nodded, although true he didn't know if she would come back, she was upset about being rejected "I know Spike" his friend raised his dark eyebrows to his luminous blonde hair, Spike handed a case file to Angel then left him alone.

The only other thing he could think of was to go see Hank. He didn't want to speak to him as the urge to punch his lights out was getting harder to control but maybe he would have an idea of where she had went to.

Once his shift finished he drove down towards the estate where the Summers' lived, it didn't take long to reach their home but it took a good five minutes to steady his nerves, one wrong word and he would punch Hank, without a doubt.

He rang the doorbell and waited, a couple of minutes later an obviously drunk Joyce let him inside, her eyes ate him up, she pawed at his chest "Hi Angel, what brings you here?"

Angel took a step back to get away from her touch "I came to see where Buffy is" his eyes slanted in a glare as Joyce shrugged nonchalantly, she began her walk to the kitchen so he followed her, she poured herself a whiskey.

"That kid, she could be in Aspen, she could be in New York, I don't know, she comes and goes as she pleases" she took a large gulp of the dark liquid.

It infuriated him that she could be so flippant about the situation, sure she could have jetted off somewhere but she could also be in trouble as well "What if she's in danger?" he didn't want to think that she could be.

Before Joyce could answer Hank strolled into the kitchen and placed a kiss on her forehead, he glared off against Angel "She's not a child… besides we would know if she was in trouble, you don't have to poke your nose where it don't belong"

He counted down silently from five to allow the anger to dissipate; he could see that these people were worse than Buffy gave them credit for. They didn't care about her at all "I'll be seeing you" he left without being escorted out; he didn't want to be near them any longer.

Oooooooooooooo

Angel leaned back in the chair at his desk; it had been a couple of days since he had spoken to her parents and he hadn't heard anymore about her since then. He had spoken to the chief about it but he reminded him that there was no proof that she was missing.

"Read through that file yet?" Spike poked his head through the door to his office, seeing the dark look on Angels face answered the question. He closed the door over so they had some privacy "So what is it, about the kid?"

"She's not a kid" his scowl got darker; he didn't appreciate her being called a kid. In some ways she did act petulant but it was only expected being brought up with everything handed to her on a silver platter – most of the time she acted older than she was.

Spike chuckled, he loved to wind him up "Answer me this peaches, if you like the bird so much why have you never asked her out?"

Thinking it over he didn't know the answer, he had thought about it for a long time. She had been with a few guys in the past year, each time he'd work up the nerve she'd have a new boyfriend; which annoyed the hell out of him.

"What about this file, Spike?" he quickly changed the subject, not wanting to discuss this further. He flicked open the folder and read through the first page quickly; a new gang of drug traffickers had set up base somewhere in Sunnydale.

"Looks like big business that's came from LA, they've not caused any ripples yet but sources indicate that they will be filling our streets before long… not been caught even though there has been a few casualties…"

The file showed that there was surveillance on the group, the king pin if you liked, was called Faith Lehane. Angel raised his eyebrows at the picture, she didn't look like a _crime boss_, she seemed pleasant enough but then again looks could be deceiving.

He closed over the folder then left for the meeting about said file. Sunnydale was a small town, everyone looked out for everyone else, and something like this could be devastating if it leads to fatalities. They'd have to work out a plan and bring them down.

When he arrived home he sat down heavily on the sofa, it had been a long day. His eyes were drawn to the answer machines blinking little light, he leaned over to push the message button, no one ever called his home phone.

There was a bit of static on the message then a dainty sigh, he could tell automatically that it was her, there was a few taps as if she was working up the courage to speak but then the message beeped as the recording ended.

Angel tried to redial the number but it rang out, taking a copy of the number he input in into the search engine on his work laptop, the database pulled up a map of Los Angeles but no defined location. It looked like she had used a payphone.

Suddenly he had a burst of energy, it seemed silly but he was going to drive up to Los Angeles that night and ask around for her. He grabbed his cell and badge then headed for his car, a couple of hours round trip was nothing if it lead him to her.

Oooooooooooooo

By the time he reached LA it was dark, he drove around the general location of where the call originated from before coming across a diner. He made his way over to one of the waitresses who smiled politely at him.

"Hi" he beamed widely, he knew that if he turned on his charms then the questioning would be over quickly "Say, I need your help, I'm looking for a friend, she's around 5'2", blond hair, green eyes?" he showed her a picture of Buffy that she'd taken of herself with his phone.

The waitress looked at the picture and pursed her lips together "Hmm, she does look familiar but no, I couldn't say for sure…" she placed her hand on his forearm and stroked him lightly, the look in her eyes showed she was telling the truth… also that she wanted totake the _conversation _further.

Angel forced a smile "Thanks anyway" the waitress pouted at him as he left, he exited the diner quickly and headed for his car. He done another round of the area, asking a few people who were on the streets and neither had they saw her.

Defeated, he drove back to Sunnydale. Sure LA was a big place but knowing Buffy, once she settled in a place then she wouldn't go far, she liked familiarity. Maybe he'd come back up at the weekend and search properly.

Oooooooooooooo

The information about the gang that had moved down from LA had grown in recent days; the surveillance pictures showed a lot more of Faiths henchmen dealing drugs to the vulnerable teens of Sunnydale.

The atmosphere in the precinct was electric, strategies had to be planned and a mode of attack, they could nab all of the lackey's for their obvious involvement but they had no proof that Faith had any handle as she was never seen when the dealings took place.

For them all to be busted, Faith had to be caught. Angel and Spike headed towards the shooting range, both of them being top at firing their weapons. In high voltage situations, knowing when and where to shoot in a moment could save a life, if not their own.

Relentlessly they shot at the targets down the end of the range; once both clips were empty the target were brought forward, both of them hitting with deadly accuracy. Spike grinned at Angel as he waved his target paper proudly.

Angel rolled his eyes, Spike feigned hurt and shook his head "Wow mate, you really need a shag" he laughed at his friend when he was sent a dark scowl.

Even with the glare, on the inside he was smiling, Spike always done something to try to cheer him up. He was thankful that they had became friends when they joined the PD. Spike was one annoying son-of-a-bitch but was still grateful for him.

"Comin' round for a _beer_ tonight?" they were on standby so alcohol was a no-go for them, luckily Spike stocked up on the non-alcoholic version for times like this.

He shook his head and avoided his friends gaze, he didn't want him to know that he was a one-man search party "Nah, think I'll have a quiet night Spike" he flashed a smile then got out of there before Spike would try and convince him otherwise.

Oooooooooooooo

Angel was preparing his bag with enough clothes for the weekend, he would make his way to LA, do some snooping around, find her and convince her to come home… if not with him, then at least back to Sunnydale.

His phone rang breaking the silence in the room; he was startled but reached to answer anyways. On the line was the sergeant, they had finally caught proof of Faiths involvement, so they were being deployed to take her down.

Great, he wouldn't have a chance to get to LA. He threw his bag down then grabbed his keys, he had to go to the station and get suited for a takedown. Spike was already there waiting on him, it didn't take long to prepare for the encounter.

The sergeant stood in front of the team, there would be five initial cops to secure the building then the backup to arrest the crew. He briefed them on the plan of attack; they had been made aware that the base of operation was in the old mansion towards the woods in South Sunnydale.

They remained silent for the duration of the journey, it didn't take long to get to the old mansion, it was previously abandoned but had been bought over by someone, who with digging deeper, they had found out the person didn't exist; it was a fake name.

The convoy stopped a little away from the house to ensure that it wouldn't alert the occupants inside. Stealthily the five of them, including Angel made their way towards the house; strategically they entered from the front and back.

Spike stunned one of the men who were sitting on the sofa as another cop took out another man in the kitchen, clearing the lower level of the house the team made their way quietly upstairs.

They burst into the main bedroom of the house, their laser sight hovering over Faith, not to kill but to incapacitate. The brunette smirked at the intruders "Damn, didn't you ever hear of knocking?" she reached around to pull a gun out of the waistband of her jeans but Spike took the shot, sending her to the ground.

Once the room was secure Angel left to check out the other bedrooms in the house, all but one room was cleared; he came to the last door and heard shuffling from inside. Taking a deep breath he kicked in the door and made his way inside.

He stopped in his tracks; he had his gun pointed towards a cowering female. He slipped his finger away from the trigger in disbelief. If he wasn't so finely tuned to her presence he would have took the shot, despite the old clothes and messy brown hair, he saw those green eyes that he loved.

Spike radioed to him to ask if it was all clear, Angel kept his eyes on Buffy, she looked terrified, knowing he should call it in he couldn't bring himself to do it. He wasn't sure how she was involved but he didn't want to arrest her.

Even with his actions possibly leading to his dismissal and ending his career, he pressed the button on the radio "All clear in here… lets go" he slowly left the room and closed the door over, all Buffy could do was stand there in shock.


	3. Chapter 3

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><p>Buffy flicked her eyes open, she could feel his strong arms wrapped around her tiny frame. Flashes of last night came back to her making her feel ill. She thought Angel of all people wouldn't hurt her; all she wanted was some comfort, not to be turned away.<p>

She wriggled out of his embrace carefully then crept towards the door, a tear escaped from her damp eyes as she looked at his sleeping form. If he wasn't willing to be there for her then she would leave, not just his house but Sunnydale altogether.

Instead of climbing out of the window she went out the back door, stuffing a few food items from the kitchen into her backpack. With no one in Sunnydale she could trust, she could only think of one place she could go… she hadn't seen him in a long time, but he was _sort-of_ reliable.

The bus journey to downtown LA was stuffy and cramped, the sun from outside meant the humidity inside the bus was at least ten degrees higher, it was arid and sickening. Thankfully the bus reached its destination allowing the passengers to embark.

Buffy slung her bag over her shoulder and headed towards an address that was etched into her memory; the streets looked peaceful but she knew better. She increased her pace, although she had been here before it still brought her defences up.

She reached the house she was looking for, instead of heading for the door she went round the side of the building to reach the basement window. Her backpack got pushed through then awkwardly she squeezed through herself.

Her heart almost jumped out her throat when she felt a pair of arms pull her off the sofa she had landed on and push her up against the wall. Buffy smacked the wall hard, it had thrown her a little but she spun around and elbowed her attacker.

He grunted in pain before hitting her back, his ring split her lip, the coppery taste of the blood made her grimace. Buffy didn't have time to react again as his hands gripped on to her ass and pulled her into a forceful kiss.

"Parker…" she mumbled against his lips, trying to get his attention. Parker bit her bottom lip in response, and then released her out of his grip.

He walked over to the other side of the room and picked up his drink "…why you here?" his bright eyes ran over her body but they were hard, they wouldn't exactly call themselves friends… more acquaintances of acquaintances.

Buffy touched the split on her lip, the sting was uncomfortable "I need a place to stay for a couple of days" she looked at him pleadingly; she had no other place to go.

Parker paused for a moment, weighing up the positives of her being there "You can stay…" his eyes sparkled with pleasure "you're going to have to earn you keep, Anne" he swaggered over to her then gripped her by her hair "That okay with you?"

As far as he was aware her name was Anne, she was smart enough not to give him her actual name. All they knew was she comes from a troubled family, if they knew she came from money then it wouldn't bode well for her.

She nodded defiantly, she knew that he wouldn't let her stay here for nothing but it was a lesser of two evils. She saw his eyes roam over her face then land on the cut on her lip; he leaned down and licked at it gently before kissing her again.

Buffy was released from his grip; she ground her teeth. She hated being weak but knew if she was insubordinate then it would get worse. Staying with her parents wasn't an option; she tried to deny that their family life was bad; she wanted them to remain as a perfect family – one that they used to be.

Parker headed upstairs behind as she made her way to the kitchen to grab a drink, he came up behind her, trapping her in between his arms and the kitchen counter "Now, there's a meeting being held here later"

He inhaled her scent deeply, causing her to shiver in disgust. "Be on your best behaviour baby" he licked his way up her neck then nibbled on her ear for a moment before leaving her alone. Buffy gripped onto the counter to calm herself down.

Oooooooooooooo

As darkness fell, one by one, all the key players from each district came in and headed downstairs to the basement to begin their meeting.

They were all in the underground scene of trafficking drugs, illegal movies and fighting_._ Parker was in this business because his father was as well, it amazed her that they'd not been caught, a few times it was close but they were all still powerful.

The meeting as a whole was boring, she tried her best to zone out of what they were discussing, the less she knew the better it was for her if they were arrested.

Part of the reason she still came back to Parker was to piss off Hank. It was a desperate cry for attention; maybe he'd stop acting the way he was and take care of her, like a knight in shining armour. _Like that would ever happen._

She heard her assumed name being called, causing her to snap back to reality, Parker was smirking at her. Buffy smiled widely and went over to the table to stand beside him; his arm came around her thighs so he could stroke her skin just under the shorts she was wearing.

The four men and one woman at the table eyed her up carefully "What d'you think Anne?" his eyes squinted up at her, the puzzled look on her face showed that she hadn't been listening, he pinched her skin to reprimand her.

"My associates here think you're beautiful… in a pure, butter would melt way, you'll be helping us on the next deal, you could easily sell it without looking suspicious to the cops"

Buffy eyes widened, sure she had dabbled in the past but she had never and didn't want to ever sell drugs, she knew if she was caught it would be bad. Hank would tear her a new one. Her eyes pleaded with his but to no avail, he stared at her hard.

She could barely whisper out okay which he heard. Parker slapped her ass and looked at the rest of the crew "Good, now if that's all the business then we're done here" they all nodded in confirmation and made their way out of the house.

Oooooooooooooo

The next few days she had rarely been let out of Parkers sight, he spent money to make her feel special and drilled into her head about what she should do if the cops showed up. Number one rule was never let them know who you worked for.

One thing they hated was being ratted out; they didn't need police presence hampering their operations. All he high officials never done face to face business, if there was no proof except from word of a dealer then there was less chance of being caught.

Buffy stood in front of the mirror perfecting her outfit, the one he had bought her made her look sweetly innocent and the natural makeup enhanced her beauty. To say she was calm was a lie; she wanted to throw up with nerves.

One of Parkers workers picked her up from the house and drove her to the lavish club that the deal was going down in. She was greeted with a smile as the doorman let her in, doing as instructed she headed for a table at the back corner.

She sipped her water to take her mind off of what was going to happen, she didn't want to do this but if she refused it would turn out worse. This would be all she'd do for him then she would leave, she was only meant to be there for a couple of days until she found a place of her own anyways.

A woman sat down beside her and spoke to her as if they had known each other for years "Annie, it's been a while, how have you been?" she took a drink of her own water then smiled widely despite her eyes being harsh.

Buffy shuffled in her seat, the woman in front of her was a senior partner in a law firm, when it came to people of stature, a full brief was given to ensure the deals went down as if it was just a casual meeting between friends "I'm good Amy, how are you?"

The brunette waved her hand about as she was speaking "I'm doing well, same old same old" Buffy could tell by the look in her eyes that she was in desperate need of a fix, not wanting to delay this any further she slid what looked like an innocent gift box towards her.

Amy shrieked in excitement at the package and looked inside, it was everything she had asked for "Oh aren't you kind… I bought you a little gift too" she slid a gift box back to Buffy which contained the money. The charade seemed to work perfectly as none of the other guests were suspicious.

They talked for another five minutes before Amy announced she had to dash to work, Buffy grabbed her package with shaky hands and exited the building. Parker was sitting in a car across the road to which she entered; the look on his face was one of approval.

He didn't say anything to her on the drive home; although he looked pleased she felt tension in the air. He parked up his car and headed inside without saying anything to her. Buffy followed him quietly into the kitchen.

"You were magnificent Anne, I'm proud" he leaned down and kissed her gently, Buffy barely reciprocated, each time he touched her she became more uncomfortable around him "Now, there's big plans coming up, best get packing babe"

Buffy frowned at him "Parker, I said I'd help you… but I have to look for my own place, let things settle down" she was surprised when he kissed her again; she was expecting him to be mad at her.

She relaxed into the kiss but jumped from shock as he tugged her hair roughly, his eyes were now steely; this was more of the type of reaction that she was waiting for. Parker clicked his tongue "See that's not going to work, you've done well here and you will do well again"

Her comeback died on her tongue as his hand slid up her skirt to pull her panties away, he kissed her neck "Anne, oh do this one little operation for me then I _may _consider letting us part ways, how does that sound?"

Buffy blinked away the dampness in her eyes; all she could do was nod. His fingers were being rough on her but his face looked sweet; Parker kissed her again then murmured against her lips "That's a good girl"

Oooooooooooooo

Buffy stared out at the neighbourhood they were driving through, once again this estate seemed lovely but she knew better, they were on the way to a meeting of their next operation which was being held at one of the other member's house.

They were greeted by a small brunette as they entered the house; she shook Parkers hand then ran her eyes over Buffy. There was a moment's pause before she grabbed her by the face and planted a kiss on her lips.

Buffy pulled back in shock, she was not expecting that to happen. The brunette laughed heartily "I like her already" she spun on her heels and directed them to the dining room. Parker looked at the embarrassment on her face and chuckled.

The small brunette stood at the head of the table as everyone sat down, she eyed them all up carefully "Well, I've been placed in charge of the next adventure… were setting up shop in a small piece of crap town outside of LA"

She took a swig of her beer before continuing "I'll be going down with a few guys… and Anne here" she tipped her head at Buffy "Anne, she'll be coming too" Buffy forced a smile; it wasn't by choice that she would be helping them.

One of the member's took a swig of his own drink "What town you going to Faith?" Faith picked up a postcard and slid it over to the man who had asked the question, he looked at the picture on the front and huffed "Sunnydale? Never heard of it before"

Buffy's head shot up as he mentioned her home town but she remained silent. Faith shrugged then smirked "Yeah Sunnydale, small town but demographic shows that there are a lot of rich people that stay there… and a lot of willing teens, five by five"

She could feel nerves bubbling up inside of her; if she went back to Sunnydale with them then she would get noticed no matter how much she tried to hide.

Oooooooooooooo

They had made their way to Sunnydale without any problems, Buffy felt more at ease that they were set up in the abandoned mansion, it was out of the way from the main part of the town –no one ventured up there.

Whenever she made her way around town she felt like she was being watched, having enough of feeling terrible she decided to help things along. Once she got back to the mansion from the store she went straight for the bathroom.

Faith was sitting at the dining table reading the reports of the past few deals, all was going according to plan, her eyes left the report and up to the female that entered the room, she done a double take then smirked "What's with the new look?"

Buffy ran her fingers through her newly dyed brown locks and shrugged "I felt like a change?" she could see Faith assessing her look, she held her breath until Faith nodded at her "Looks good" her eyes landed back on the papers in front of her.

The silence was broken by Faiths cell phone ringing, Buffy watched as her eyes fired up with rage whilst she listened to the conversation. Something had gone wrong, Faith got up and kicked the chair over that she had just occupied.

Buffy remained in the house as she was told, it was a half hour before Faith returned with one of her minions, she pushed him to intimidate him then she punched him hard. Faith didn't say anything before she headed upstairs.

Instead of sitting downstairs where the atmosphere was exceedingly awkward, she retreated to her own room. Buffy was lost in thought when she heard a door being booted in then muffled voices. The sound of the gunshot startled her.

Buffy got up from her bed and froze as she heard someone come to her door. She flinched when the door was forced open, before she could think of anything she had a gun pointed at her.

Intense fear washed over her, she had never had a gun pulled on her before. Faith and Parker had used them before, so she wasn't uncomfortable around them. Buffy was surprised when the gun lowered slightly, she gasped as she looked at the officer.

His brooding face and dark chocolate eyes were focused directly on her own, her breath hitched in her throat as Angel reached for his radio. She fully expected him to rat her out, but was shocked as he lied to the other officer then left the room.

Buffy remained perfectly still until she could hear the tyres crunch on the gravel from the far end of the driveway indicating that they had left. She left out a sob as she fell to her knees and began to cry.


	4. Chapter 4

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><p>Faith groaned in pain as she was pushed into an interrogation room, from what she could tell only her and the two idiots she'd brought with her had been caught. Anne must have escaped, knowing what was best for her she'd remain quiet.<p>

She eyed the blond officer as he sat in front of her and pushed the photographs of her dealing drugs. She smirked at him as he asked her who she worked for "Hell blondey, cant a girl work for herself or you stuck in the caveman days, you man, you work?" she ran her tongue over her lips to entice him.

Spike rolled his eyes "Now I'm gonna ask again who do you work for… its obvious you work for someone higher, tell me who" he raised his hands in faux surrender as she lurched forward to hit him but got stopped by the shackles she was in "Don't get your knickers in a twist love"

Faith spat at him then turned away from his glare, if he wasn't up for being bribed then she wouldn't speak to him at all. She overtly picked at her nails to show that she was bored with the questions.

Spike got fed up with the silence and left her alone; he made his way to his friend's office. He had noticed that Angel had his brooding face on since they had left the mansion, the brooding face he only brought out especially for thoughts of Buffy.

"What's wrong?" Angel looked up from his desk and shrugged, Spike closed the door over "Mate, you look like someone's kicked a puppy, we just had a major bust" he came over to the desk and sat down across from him.

Angel stared at his friend, ensuring he kept his face blank. He couldn't let him know that he'd saw Buffy, especially in that house. If she got arrested no doubt she'd be put away for a long time considering the crowd she was involved with.

"I'm fine" he got up from his chair and made his way out, Spike made it in front of him before he left his office, his eyes searching his friends. Angel only glared at him "See you around Spike" he pushed past him and left to go home.

Oooooooooooooo

Angel headed straight for his alcohol cabinet as he got home, he wasn't a big drinker but tonight he felt like he needed a good stiff drink. He downed the whiskey he had then poured another, then another.

It had been a few weeks since he had last saw Buffy, of all the places he could expect to find her she was caught up with one of the biggest gangs of LA. He knew she had a tendency to gravitate towards trouble but he didn't think she was that stupid.

He lay down on his bed and let out a sigh, trying to make sense of things he let out a small chuckle, at least he knew where she was now. His eyes shot to the door as he heard movement from the hall, he grabbed the gun he kept hidden in his beside cabinet and pointed it at the door.

Buffy jumped as she was faced with a gun for the second time today "God, stop pulling a gun on me!" she slowly shut the door over but stayed across the room from him, the look on his face wasn't a nice one.

Angel lowered his gun but kept it in his hands, he saw as she shuffled from foot to foot at the entrance to his room. He could see she was still scared, there was no way that she had come here to harm him, she was a good liar but not good enough, so he put the gun away.

Buffy let out a sigh of relief then made her way slowly over to him "Why didn't you tell them I was there?!" it had been eating at her since he had left her a few hours ago, although they were friends she thought he wouldn't disobey the law.

"Why you dealing drugs Buff?" he didn't want to answer her because he didn't know why he never called them in; his eyes never left hers, imploring her for the truth.

She let out a ragged breath and shook her head, her voice thick with emotion "I don't want too… he won't let me leave" she sat down on the bed beside Angel so she could place her head on his shoulder.

Angel wrapped his arm around her frame, pulling her close "Who won't let you leave" he could hear that she was genuinely upset, it pained him every time she was like this, all her wanted for her was to be happy.

"Parker, Parker Abrams… I didn't want any of this" she wiped away the tears from her eyes as he tried to soothe her by rubbing her arm. Buffy shifted her position so she could look at him, her vision was blurry, so she couldn't see how he was looking at her.

Angel lay down on the bed and pulled her so she was resting half on top of him, he didn't know what he could say to her, he couldn't tell her it would be all okay as he didn't know what would happen once the investigation brought her into it.

Her body shook through the tears, she was doing her best to stay strong but it was difficult. Angel stroked her arm soothingly until he felt the tears subside and eventually heard heavy breathing as she had fallen asleep.

As he woke up he was surprised, unlike previous times, Buffy was still asleep in his arms. Usually she would have left during the night. They had fallen asleep in the clothes they had been wearing that day, the sheets on the bed barely covered their legs.

The look on her face showed she was at peace in her dreams; he brushed a strand of hair back behind her ear and smiled. She looked beautiful, how anyone could treat her wrongly he couldn't fathom.

Buffy shifted under his touch, her thick eyelashes fluttering open as she woke. The first thing she saw was his deep brown orbs looking at her in awe; her heart skipped a beat "Morning"

Angel stroked the side of her face with his knuckles "Morning" he could see her blush from his touch, all of the past times that they had done something like this she just acted casual but he could tell that this time he had struck a chord.

She didn't know what had came over her but she felt butterflies flapping away in her tummy. Angel was always just a friend to her, a non-sexual entity – now with the way he was looking at her made her feel like she was worth something.

"Thank you" she placed a lingering kiss on his cheek, she felt him move a fraction towards her so she kissed him again. She ran her hand behind his neck to pull him closer as their lips touched, her stomach flipped in excitement.

Angel rolled over so she was fully beneath him, he couldn't resist so he slid his hand down her side until he reached the waistband of her jeans. He felt her tongue probe his lips so he opened his mouth to let his tongue swirl around hers.

Buffy broke the kiss and turned her head to the side when she heard his phone ring. Angel sighed heavily as he rolled off of her; truthfully he was thankful as it didn't feel like the right time to take things further between them.

She watched as his back muscles tensed when he spoke to the caller, his head fell down as he answered "I'll be in shortly" he ended the call and placed his phone on the bedside cabinet "I Have to go into the station…"

Buffy scrambled from the bed and followed him as he entered his bathroom "Angel, I, uh…" she twiddled her fingers together; she wasn't quite sure how to ask him.

Angel turned to face her, he put his finger under her chin to tilt her head so he could look into her eyes "You can stay here, as long as you need too" he ran his thumb over her lips, he desperately wanted to kiss her but knew if he did he wouldn't leave.

Buffy nodded in thanks then left him alone to get showered, he came out shortly after to get ready then head to work. She watched from behind the curtains as he pulled away, she was grateful for him being so kind to her.

Oooooooooooooo

Before he could even go anywhere Spike grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into his office, the look on his face was serious "You have to tell me the truth…"

Angel frowned at Spike "the truth about what?" he saw his friend shake his head then grab a file off of the desk, when he opened it he felt a sickness wash over him, they had fingerprinted the mansion and found prints that related to the three people incarcerated and an unknown set.

"Nothing came up in the national crime database; luckily I'm the only one that's seen this… I got a hit off of the high school registry, was she there?"

He didn't to know whether or lie or not, Spike was his friend but he didn't know if he could be trusted, they were cops after all. Angel flipped the pages over to read at the other information "a Sunnydale resident's prints being found in a house in Sunnydale?"

Spike shook his head, he would let him avoid the question, he faced off against his friend; he needed to know. Angel remained calm but glared at Spike "Let me handle this"

Defeated Spike took a seat at his desk, his boots slamming on the top on the hardwood finish "You better know what you're doing mate" his blue eyes evaluated Angels demeanour, he wanted to trust him because he liked Buffy but if she was involved then it could ruin him.

Angel left without saying a word; he headed to his own office and shut the door harshly. Any way you looked at it she was involved, willingly or not, it wasn't going to go well.

He paced around the enclosed space; he knew that if the chief or worse, the LA department got their hands on the file and came up with the same idea as Spike then it would all go to hell. He slammed his palm off of his desk; he'd have to think of something fast.


	5. Chapter 5

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><p>Parker slammed his fist against the kitchen counter; one of his workers had just let him know what went down in Sunnydale the previous night. He shook his head as he was furious, Faith never got caught, it was unheard of for her to mess up.<p>

"Where's Anne?" he glared at the kid that informed him of the mess up. He shrugged his shoulders letting him know that no one had seen or heard from her "This is unacceptable, do you think she'd have a part in this?"

The kid shook his head, he didn't want to answer any questions; he knew if he said something wrong then he'd be taught a lesson. The look on Parker's face was lethal so he high tailed it out of there before he saw anymore of his rage.

Parker grabbed the bottle of whiskey that was on the counter and took a long hard drink, he'd have to find Anne to see what happened, thinking it over he knew little about her; only that she showed up time from time.

There had never been cause for concern with her, her innocent looking face yet perfect little body and steady cash flow made him bypass his usual screening on background for his workers. He shook his head; he'd definitely have to work out a plan to get her AND Faith back.

Oooooooooooooo

Angel unlocked the front door and stepped in quietly, the house was eerily silent "Buffy?" he looked around as he made his way to the kitchen, a knot was forming in his stomach, from the lack of sound it appeared that she had left again.

He placed the food on the counter then jumped as he looked around to the door, Buffy smiled sheepishly at him "Sorry…" she came forward and inhaled the smell of the takeaway food that he had brought in "Smells good"

"Thought you might be hungry" he stood back and watched as she un-wrapped her meal hastily and took a mouthful. She immediately blushed causing him to chuckle; he took out some plates from the cupboard and helped her to put the food out.

They ate in silence, for Angel, he didn't mind. Just her presence was enough for him, besides he wasn't sure how a conversation would go. Once they were finished Buffy picked up their empty plates and put them in the dishwasher.

She made her way to the drinks cupboard and poured herself a glass of wine, before she could have a drink Angel swiped the glass from her hands "You're not 21 Buff" he took a sip of the wine himself, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"I will be in a couple of months" she protested, trying to take the glass back off of him. He held it to the side, Buffy tried to reach for it again but her arms were too small "Angel!" she frowned and folded her arms over her chest.

He rolled his eyes playfully then handed the glass back to her; she accepted it and downed the contents. Buffy poured herself another glass and took a sip "Angel… I want… I, uh" she came over and stood between his legs.

She stared at the glass in her hands "I wanted to say; thank you…" she closed her eyes as his hands drew circles lazily on her back "you didn't have to do what you done"

Angels hands pulled her closer, he placed a kiss on her hair "I'm here for you, I always will be" he plucked the wine glass from her hands and put it on the counter beside him. His arms went around her waist pulling her flush against him.

Buffy's arms snaked around his neck and she placed her head on his chest "I never wanted to be in that house, you've got to believe me" she stifled back some tears, crying was commonplace these days. She took a deep breath and looked at him.

Angel looked deep into her eyes, she was a strong woman but he could see the fear that ran deep down "I believe you, I'll take care of you" he wiped away a tear that ran down her cheek, as she came closer to him and he closed his eyes.

He squeezed her tightly then let her go as she yawned loudly, looking at her he could see how tired she actually was "Get to bed" he kissed her forehead then watched as she went upstairs to rest.

Finishing off the wine then washing the dishes Angel headed upstairs himself: he pulled off his jeans and top throwing them in a pile on the floor. He settled into bed wanting nothing more than to fall asleep, it wasn't long before the door creaked open slowly.

Buffy had tried to sleep in his spare room but the bed felt too empty, anytime she stayed here they always shared a bed, usually because he was already asleep when she crept in; his arms always wrapped snug around her waist as they slept.

She entered the room and closed the door behind her when he signalled for her to join him; she came under the covers and immediately was pulled against his chest. Buffy nuzzled her head until it was settled under his chin then inhaled his scent.

Angel ran his fingers through her hair, although he was tired he now felt desperately awake. He was used to her being there but somehow this time felt different. He meant what he said earlier that he would always protect her.

"Buffy…" she shuffled against him then looked up at him with inquiring eyes, in the moonlight her emerald eyes sparkled beautifully. He couldn't help himself, forgetting about what he was going to say he placed a soft kiss on her lips.

Buffy stiffened a little; she hadn't expected him to do that. It took a moment to realise what he was doing before kissing him back by then he had pulled away and turned his face so she couldn't reach him again "Uh, I'm sorry I shouldn't have…"

She shook her head as she pulled his face to look at her "Don't be" she leaned back down to press her lips against his. She was surprised that he had made a move as the last time he had hurt her feelings, but his words from earlier ran circles in head.

Buffy sat astride his hips to get better access to his mouth, their slow kiss had turned feverish, their tongues fighting each other. Her fingers tugged at his hair to give her access to his neck, she licked and nipped at his smooth skin.

She was gyrating on top of him causing a groan from deep inside. Angel pulled her up so she was staring at him; he saw a look of panic flash across her eyes. Before she could say anything he pulled her back down to kiss her leisurely.

Unlike the last time he wasn't going to turn her away, she wasn't emotionally distressed and he didn't want her to flee. His hands kneaded their way up her thighs then gripped on to her waist to stop her from rubbing against him.

If she continued what she was doing then he'd likely come in his boxers, it had been a long time since he had been with a woman; once he admitted his feelings to himself he wouldn't touch anyone except from her.

He tugged on the hem of his shirt that she'd adopted as a pyjama top and yanked it over her head exposing her naked chest. Angel sat up enough to spin them around so she was underneath him, he heard her stifle a giggle as she bounced on the bed.

Buffy bit her lip and blushed, although this was not new to her, being with someone who cared for her was making her feel self-conscious. Her eyes fluttered shut as his tongue ran down her breast and circled her nipple, leaving her little time to think on it.

Angel kissed his way down her stomach then teasingly ran his tongue over her core that was covered by her panties. She thrust her pelvis up towards his mouth and stifled a groan, when he didn't touch her again she glared down at him.

The look he had burned straight through her, her heart sped up as he pulled down her panties and tossed them to the side. He didn't waste any time as he settled between her legs, his tongue doing as it did before but on her bare flesh.

Buffy's mouth fell open in pleasure as her hands tugged at her own hair, his skilled tongue lapped at her making her feel weak at the knees. One, then two of his fingers slipped inside of her as he came up to kiss her fiercely.

She hooked her fingers around his boxers to tug them down his sculpted hips, once they reached his thighs he kicked them off. He tipped her chin up to look into her eyes, the mix of lust and adoration made something inside twitch.

Not wasting anytime he thrust deep inside grinding his teeth as he done so. He heard her moan in surprise, she smirked up at him then braced herself as he thrust back in hard. Angel gripped onto the bed frame behind her head as he fastened his speed.

Buffy wrapped her legs around his waist pulling him deeper in, her nails dug deep into his back spurring him on. There was no way she could stay quiet, her moans had gone exceptionally loud, if she wasn't so deep in ecstasy she would have blushed.

Her body tingled in delight as her orgasm washed over every inch of her being "A..ngel" when he continued to pump into her she looked up at him, the carnal look on his face scared her ever so slightly.

Angel gripped onto her hips as a second orgasm washed over her, this time he came hard inside her. He kept his weight on his forearms as he panted in her ear; she felt his damp hair rub against her cheek as only their breathing filled the room.

Truthfully she thought that Angel would have been gentle but the fact he didn't treat her like a porcelain doll and rode her hard; she loved it. All she could muster was her finger tips brushing against his back; he was _amazing_.

Eventually he fell onto his side but kept his arm across her stomach. This was something he had wanted for a long time but he was glad he hadn't before now; now he knew she felt something for him although she had never said it.

Buffy stretched her whole body out in relaxation then peeked over to him smiling impishly at her, she giggled at the look on his face "What?!"

Angel licked his bottom lip then brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear "Nothing" his fingers ran through her damp hair then twirled it as he reached the end, although he knew she was _his_ Buffy, her falsely coloured hair didn't sit well with him.

"You're so beautiful, but I miss your blonde hair…" his eyes ran over her face whilst his fingers played in her brown locks.

Buffy's nose turned up in disgust, she didn't like it either but dying her hair was easier than trying to wear a wig every day "I'll be changing it soon…" she knew that it was best to remain inconspicuous until the situation with the police calmed down.

She came closer to him and kissed him; Angel pulled her closer to him then lay on his back. Once they settled comfortably she whispered "Night Angel" before falling fast asleep, he returned the sentiment then fell asleep himself.

Oooooooooooooo

A loud knocking to the door woke him from his sleep; he blinked at the clock _06:34 _with a groan he carefully pried Buffy from his chest, placing her gently against the bed then made his way downstairs to the front door.

The frowned as he saw the dark outline outside, it was an early Sunday morning and wasn't expecting anyone. He unlocked the door then opened it slowly; his boss was standing on his porch, his arms folded over his chest - he looked livid.


	6. Chapter 6

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><p>Angel forced a smile to his superior "Sarg' …what brings you here?"<p>

He motioned for an invite so Angel opened the door to let him enter his home then followed him into the living-room "Whats wrong Giles?"

His sergeant shook his head at him "What's wrong? I'll tell you what's bloody wrong; Buffy Summers finger prints all over that house!" his polite English accent sounded unusually angry "You can't expect me to believe it's a coincidence!"

Angel remained silent, he done his best to let his face to not betray his casual demeanour "Giles, it was an abandoned mansion, any one of Sunnydale's citizens prints could have been there…" his stomach tightened apprehensively.

Giles let out a mocking laugh and pulled out surveillance photographs, showing them to Angel "Take a closer look… none of us would have glanced twice, but with those prints linking her - that is Summers, isn't it?!" he pointed to her standing behind one of the men they had arrested.

Sickness washed over him, he couldn't deny it, you would have missed her in a crowd of people because they were used to her sun-kissed hair but looking closely you could tell that it was Buffy. Angel refused to say anything.

After a few moments of awkward silence Giles took his glasses off of his face and wiped them in agitation "I came here in private to give you a chance… I _know _you saw her, if you're not willing to tell me her location…?"

Angel squared his jaw; there was no chance that he would give her up like that. She was in a lot of trouble already but if he handed her over then there wouldn't be an opportunity to help her get away from the likely charges and jail time that faced her.

Giles placed his glasses back on his face and shook his head "…You'll have to come downtown, pending full investigation" his eyes pleaded with Angels one last time, all he saw was determination. With a sigh he shook his head and left.

Angel headed back upstairs and went for a shower, luckily Buffy was still fast asleep – he knew that if she overheard his previous conversation then she would go guns blazing to the station and get arrested. He came over to the bed and kissed her forehead.

"Buff, I got to go into work" her eyes opened as she nodded, he brushed her hair away from her face "Stay here and don't answer the door, I want to make sure it's safe before you go anywhere" he kissed her lips then made his way out.

Oooooooooooooo

Parker hung up and placed his cell phone on the table top, according to his sources from the LA County Jail, Faith and her idiotic workers were going to be transported over from Sunnydale later that day.

He began forming a plan in his head, a Sunday with little traffic and a police escort, this sounded like fun. He knew what he would have to do; he tapped his fingers off the keys on his laptop as he typed an encrypted message to a trusted source.

Hitting the send icon he scowled, the two idiots could handle themselves in jail, he knew they wouldn't talk. He would get Faith back then they'd find out what happened to Anne, trying to search on the name she'd given him brought up nothing – he didn't like that.

Oooooooooooooo

Angel strode into the building showing no fear; if he acted and looked guilty then he would have a hard time trying to convince them that he wasn't. Spike came out of his office, his eyes pleading – the look showed that it wasn't him that had tipped them off.

Giles closed the door behind him then took a seat across the large maple desk, he pulled out more surveillance photos and pushed them to Angel "Not long after our mission these were taken in the grounds of the mansion"

The pictures showed Buffy stealthily making her way through the woods, away from the scene of the crime "She had to be in that house, Only you would let her go, I'm not stupid, I can see you care for her… you've not mentioned her once since this happened"

As Angel remained silent Giles sighed "Angel, if you're caught harbouring a fugitive, that won't go down well"

Angel snorted in derision "Fugitive's a strong word… there's no proof she's involved, the only picture that's there could have been taken as she was walking past them, not solid evidence" he glared at the older man; he respected Giles but wouldn't take his crap.

Giles shook his head, seeing the love that Angel had for her was obvious, he wanted to trust him but if he got involved then it would unleash hell on the department for hiding one of their own. Deep inside he felt that Angel was in fact hiding her but had no proof.

"I'm sorry to have to do this, hand over your gun and badge, you're on suspension… I can't have you on any case because of your involvement, indirect or not… You better know what you're doing Angel"

Silently he handed over his badge and gun, he had never been in trouble or on any report for anything – he was a model employee. All the exemplary records could go to hell for all he cared; he knew this was the right thing.

Oooooooooooooo

Spike had been here during the night when Giles pulled the file from the mansion and came up with the same idea that he had – which brought him to the results of Summers' fingerprints being at the scene.

He watched as Angel stormed into their superior's office then went out of sight as Giles closed the door over, he done his best to play stupid when he was questioned earlier about his friend and Buffy – he didn't want to betray his trust.

It would only go down one way, with Angel being suspended, which could lead to the loss of his job. He shouldered on his jacket and left quickly in the direction of Angel's house. He got there in record time and went straight for the hidden spare key.

The house was silent, he surveyed each room downstairs before heading upstairs without making a sound, he pushed open the bedroom door and stepped inside; the covers were rumpled and the bed was empty.

"I know you're here not-so-goldilocks, I'm not here to do you any harm…" he circled the room then looked at her as she stepped out from inside the closet; she looked like a lost little girl. It was hard to see her as a hardened criminal.

"You've got to hand yourself in… Tall, Dark and Deary's playing the martyr for you love, he could lose his job because he doesn't want to give you up" he kept his tone soft, he liked her but he cared for Angel more.

Buffy held back the tears, she knew he was doing a lot to help her but she thought they didn't know that she was involved. She placed a hand on her forehead; all of a sudden her head throbbed painfully.

Spike came close to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, he smiled at her "I know you care about him too, it's your decision, best make it quick" he tapped his knuckles off her chin playfully then left her to think over the predicament.

Oooooooooooooo

Faith smirked at Spike as he placed the chains around her cuffs; it looked like they weren't going to make it easy for her in any way. She'd only spent two nights in Sunnydale's jail cell and couldn't wait to leave, even if it was for another jail cell.

"Don't try any funny business…" his blue eyes glared at her as she ran her tongue over her teeth and smirked, she only shook her head mockingly then shuffled out towards the transport van. Spike placed her in the back of the van and locked the door.

The officer who was armed sat in the front seat but positioned himself so he could see into the back to keep an eye on her; the other officer got into the driver side and started the engine. Although she was a wanted woman, she didn't rank high enough for a full escort.

Giles instructed them to be vigilant but get there fast to hand her off to the LA cops. Spike tapped the side of the van with his hand as they pulled away from the station and headed for out of town "Good riddance"

The lesser threats were placed into a second van, which took off after the first one. Giles nodded at Spike, having them gone was good, they wouldn't have to worry about her staging a coo and it gave them a chance to investigate everything else.

The vans had made it outside of Sunnydale's city limits and continued their journey to Los Angeles; the ride was going smooth until they had to slow down at a lonely car on the stretch of road, signalling for help, miles in between two of the closest towns.

They knew they couldn't stop but they could radio for help to come if the driver of the car hadn't done so already. As they were beginning to slow down a large truck came flying out from nowhere and struck the first van, causing it to be thrown onto its side.

The second van clipped the first sending that over onto its side as well, the driver of the car as well as an accomplice shot out the lock on the back of the vehicle escorting Faith; they used bolt cutters to get through the chains she was in.

One of the masked men asked how she was, she brushed off her clothes and patted the cut of her head "Five by five, boys" she made her way out of the back of the van then into the back of the car that was used as a decoy.

They sped off as the cops struggled to free themselves, the driver grabbed on to the radio and called back to Sunnydale PD, letting them all know that she had escaped.

Oooooooooooooo

Angel once again strode into the police department like he had done earlier that morning. After his dismissal he had went out for a walk to clear his head, he couldn't go see Buffy straight away; he had to think about what he would say to her.

"Giles, how can I help?!" he had caught wind of Faiths escape; they knew that she came from a larger crime ring but didn't know the extent of their power and with her being close to Buffy, he didn't want to think that she'd go after her.

Giles shook his head as he pulled on his bulletproof vest and gun belt "Go home Angel, you're on leave, you can't be here" he tried to go past the younger man but was stopped in his tracks "Angel, let us handle this… _you_ take care"

Angel glanced over to the Englishman catching his drift; the best place for him to be would be with Buffy. If Faith tried anything then he was more than capable of defending them both, after a second he nodded and made his way home.

Oooooooooooooo

"Buffy?" he locked the door behind him and looked around, it looked like she hadn't left any trace of herself downstairs but then again she was good at making herself invisible. Seeing that she wasn't downstairs he went up to his room.

The television was on, the news reporter looking frightened, the urgency in his voice as he repeated that 'Faith Lehane, a known drug trafficker and potentially dangerous young female had escaped from custody earlier'

Angel clenched his fist; he knew this would set Buffy off. She was scared and upset about being forced to spend time with Faith in the first place, with her on the loose she was more dangerous than before.

Going back to Parker was something that terrified her, especially that it would look like she was the cause of Faith's incarceration. She had confided in him that she fully believed that if he got his hands on her then she wouldn't live to see another day.

He didn't want to even imagine what would happen to her if Faith or worse, if Parker got his hands on her. They knew about the crime ring and how powerful some of them were; he had done a background search on him; of course it all _looked_ like he was an upstanding citizen.

"Buffy?!" he headed out of his room and stopped outside of the spare room, he pushed the door open slowly and his stomach dropped. Buffy was lying on the floor, motionless, her lips paling out to a sickening shade of blue.


	7. Chapter 7

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><p>It's just one of those moments, where time stands still, a black hole of nothingness – no racing pulse, no panicked breathing; no sound of any kind, not even a pin drop would shatter the silence. It was surreal, it couldn't be happening.<p>

His body felt numb as he saw her lying on the floor motionless, it took a second to rationalise the situation; in that moment he panicked.

Angel ran over to her calling her name, her body was deathly cold with a faint shimmer of sweat from before she had stopped breathing. He tilted her head back and stuck his finger down her throat, feeling safe that she wouldn't choke he forced air into her lungs.

Following the training that he'd had many years ago, he remained calm and methodical delivering each breath into her deprived body. After what seemed like an eternity of him acting as surrogate lungs she sputtered into his mouth, her eyes still shut.

He placed his ear against her mouth and heard her strained breathing; he was elated however felt a tear roll down his cheek. Carefully he slipped his arms under her legs and supported her head with his chest as he paced into the bathroom.

He switched on the shower to a cool setting and stepped inside with her, he took the brunt of the spray but let the cold water run over her body "Buffy, can you hear me?" he ran his hand over her face to clear away the hair.

"Come on Buff, please" he kissed the side of her head and hummed against her, rocking her slowly but keeping her upright in case she threw up. He could feel her breathing begin to even out, eventually her eyes tried to open.

He began to chuckle, his hand palmed her cheek gently "Buffy, hey, hey" he kissed her forehead as her gaze went out of focus then fixated on him "There you are" she stared around the enclosure of the shower then back at him unable to speak.

He pulled her close into a firm hug but not too constricting, the numb from before was starting to ease off, leaving him tingling from head to toe. The shower was switched off and he escorted her carefully into his room.

With one arm around her waist holding her up, he yanked off both their clothes and left them on a pile on the floor. It was awkward but he managed to dry them both off with a towel and redress her in one of his shirts, he opted for just a pair of boxers.

Being a cop he was trained in resuscitative measures when it came to overdoses, there was a rush in cases around the town many years back; he had saved many young ones from ending up with a tragic fate, luckily he managed to remain calm with someone he loved.

Buffy hung off of his shoulder; he had slung her arm around his neck and took her for a stroll around the upstairs level of his house. She wasn't out of the woods yet; if he was complacent then she could relapse and not be as lucky the second time round.

He tried to make small talk to ensure that her brain was engaged but all she done was stare at him with the saddest eyes he had ever seen. Buffy pushed out of his embrace and headed towards the bed unsteady on her feet and fell.

Her body was racked with sobs, he was immediately by her side trying to help her up but she pushed him away again "Buff…" her hand swatted at him, his hand circled her wrist to stop her from trying it again "We'll have to go to the hospital"

Buffy's head shook from side to side violently "No!" her free hand pawed at his chest as she came close, more tears spilled from her eyes. She hated hospitals, if she went her father would see her and so would the cops, she couldn't put up a fight like this.

Angel held her tight "You have to, I want to make sure you're alright" she pleaded with him not to, he couldn't take the desperation in her voice, so he thought better of it just now "Okay, okay, I won't force you…" no doubt she'd try to hurt him if he tried.

He let go of the hand he had restrained so she could wrap her arms around his neck, she'd started crying again, her body desperate for contact with his so she pulled against him tight. Angel petted her hair without saying anything.

It could have been five or fifty minutes; he couldn't tell. He could see Buffy yawn and rub her eyes, it had been a long day but he was still wary of letting her sleep. It had been a good few hours since he had found her but she hadn't been seen by a doctor.

He picked up his phone and sent a text to someone he trusted then tipped Buffy's chin up so he could look into her eyes, the usual bright sparkle was dulled down; all he wanted was for her to be as she was, not the turmoil that she'd been through.

They'd made their way downstairs and sat on the sofa, she lay with her head against his chest but remained awake as anytime she started to nod off he would make sure that she wouldn't. Angel heard a knock at the door and shouted for them to come in.

Buffy glanced over to the visitor and groaned; she couldn't believe he had called her "What's she doing here?!" she moved away from the warmth of Angels body and glared at him for his betrayal.

"Well if you weren't such a loser then he wouldn't have asked me to come" she placed her hands on her hips; she wasn't too thrilled by what he had said to her earlier about the predicament that Buffy found herself in.

Angel pinched the bridge of his nose "Cordelia!" he looked over at her pleadingly "Be nice, we need your help" he got off the sofa and pulled her into a hug, she wrapped her arms around him and whispered that she would behave.

Cordelia picked up the case that she'd brought and placed it on the coffee table in front of Buffy "We need to make sure you're okay… you've got Baby Brother in a panic" she glanced over to her younger brother with a knowing smile.

Buffy brought her knees up to her chest and shook her head; she didn't want to be examined, especially by his sister, who had always treated her like a child. A glance to Angel to help her was unsuccessful as he had the same determination as Cordelia.

Angel left the room to give them some privacy; he paced around the kitchen before heavily sitting on a chair at the table.

"has… has my dad asked about me?" she looked to the older woman's face in hope but felt deflated when she shook her head. Although her home life was terrible, she thought that they'd at least care if she hadn't been heard of in a while.

Cordelia sat on the sofa beside her "Buffy, you've tried everything in the book to get him to take care of you and love you which hasn't worked… it's not you, it's him. He's not capable of love… stay here and Angel will look after you" she placed her hand on top of Buffy's giving it a squeeze.

Buffy smiled weakly, she was glad that at least one person saw through the lies and bullshit that her father worked so hard at. She loved him and her mother but they were never there for her nor looked after her, Angel truly was a saviour.

Cordelia came into the kitchen to see him before she left "Angel, she'll be okay but take care of her, she likes to think she's strong but she's not, she's so fragile… you don't want earlier to repeat itself do you?"

Angel shook his head; he certainly didn't want a repeat of that. It was a horrible experience to go through with someone who you had a connection with; strangers made it simple; loved ones made it difficult to think with a straight mind.

"Thanks Cordy, this stays between us" he held her gaze until she agreed with a nod of the head; she hugged her brother one last time then waved at Buffy as she left the house.

Buffy came into the kitchen and rubbed her hand up his arm softly "Angel, I want to say…" He shook his head, he didn't need her to thank him for anything, it wasn't as if he went out of his way to help her; he'd help her no matter what.

Without saying anything to each other they switched off the lights and headed for bed, both desperately needed to rest. Angel pulled Buffy's back against his chest; he waited until she had fallen sound asleep before he let himself drift off.

Oooooooooooooo

Despite ending last night on a high note, Angel woke up in a foul mood. He let go of Buffy's sleeping body and headed downstairs for a coffee. His thoughts ran circles in his head, over and over not giving him a chance to think straight.

He was furious with what she had done, he wouldn't let this slide. His leg shook with annoyance as he drank his coffee slowly, he tried to calm himself down but couldn't.

Buffy's smile fell as she came into the kitchen, the look on his face frightened her "Angel?" she reached out to touch him but he left the chair and moved away from her, shaking his head. It was obvious that he was mad at her.

Buffy remained a distance from him and wrapped her arms around her body, her voice barely audible "What? What do you want me to say Angel" she kept her eyes on the ground; she didn't want to look at him.

"_What do you want me to say? _What, that I thought you'd be smarter than this? That I thought you respected yourself enough not to take drugs, that you've not fucked up?" he saw her flinch from his harsh tone but he didn't care "You realise if I hadn't come home when I did you would have died?"

When he saw her shoulders rise into a shrug and lost it, he yanked coffee mug off of the table and threw it across the room causing it to smash only a foot away from her "Don't you care that you could have DIED, as in dead, not breathing, not alive, What in the hell were you thinking?!"

Buffy frowned, throwing her arms to the side in defeat "I wasn't!" that was the truth, she had never had a bad experience; she had heard of it going wrong and didn't think anything like that would happen to her.

Angel scoffed at her incredulously; he couldn't believe how careless she was acting "Didn't you think about what this would do to your family?"

She let out a manic laugh "My Family? What this would do to them? Come on Angel, they haven't even tried to contact me, they don't even care!"

"What about me, Buff? I care! Didn't you think about how this would tear me up inside, how much I'd want to fucking die with you not being alive and by my side?"

Buffy's mouth gawped; the conviction in his words shook her down to the core. She knew he had some sort of feelings for her but she thought it was always just a friendly/playful love, she never thought they went this deep.

Angel's chest rose and fell rapidly like he was hyperventilating; he didn't mean to get so emotional; he had never told her the extent of his love for her, although he was a highly confident alpha male, he was scared that she would laugh in his face.

Seeing how upset he was Buffy came over and hugged him, she was expecting him to push her away but he pulled her close "Buff" he tipped her head up so she could look into his eyes "I don't want to lose you"

He was still fuming with her but he realised that his anger came, not from her stupidity but from the possibility of losing her. He ran his thumb over her lip "I love you" he kissed her forehead then her mouth gently.

Buffy placed her head on his chest and closed her eyes, she didn't know what to say to him; deep down she knew there was something there but she wasn't sure if those feelings were real. No one had ever shown her love; she wasn't even sure she could love herself.


	8. Chapter 8

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><p>"What the fuck happened?" Parker extended his arms wide as Faith stormed into the room and hugged him tightly. He felt a little better that she was no longer in custody.<p>

Faith ground her teeth "One of those idiots caused a commotion, almost went bad until I sorted them out… then the cops came down heavy on us" she accepted a drink off of Parker and downed it quickly "Is Anne here?"

Parker shook his head, he was still unsettled with the lack of information he found on Anne. Either she lived off the grid or she wasn't who she said she was; which wasn't ideal "Did she lead the cops to you?"

"I left her alone in that house… she seem like the type to rat us out? Thought she needed the money?" Faith saw his jaw straighten then he ran his hand over his hair "…ever since we got to Sunnydale she was wiggin' out"

Parker picked up his cell phone and dialled one of his contacts; he gave them the basic information on Anne that he knew and the last known whereabouts. If anyone could find her then it would be Ethan Rayne, he didn't like calling favours with him but the situation called for it.

Faith picked up the envelope that was handed to her and looked over the information, she rolled her eyes. She knew she needed to lay low until everything died down but he was sending her to stay in the East Coast; she preferred where the sun was pretty much guaranteed.

"No arguments, you'll be leaving in ten minutes; grab what you have left and get out of my sight" Parker pushed her playfully out of his office but before she left she grabbed him into a kiss, he slapped her ass and watched her leave down the hall.

Oooooooooooooo

Buffy sat with her head resting on Angels chest as they cuddled up on the sofa, they hadn't spoke since his confession earlier. She didn't know how to process the information, why would someone like Angel love someone like her?

His hand stroked her upper arm soothingly; she tried to push all negative thoughts out of her head to just enjoy the comfort he provided for her. The sound of the TV barely masked the sound of the front door being knocked upon.

Angel motioned for her to head upstairs as he made his way to the door; he made sure she was out of sight before cracking open the door. Spike raised his eyebrows at his friend "Fancy letting me in?!" Angel nodded and stood to the side.

Spike walked in slowly, scanning the area but knew they weren't alone "So I spoke to your sister…" Angels head whip round to him "Don't worry mate, I won't tell a soul; she's worried about you… and her…" he raised his hands as an act of peace.

Angel shook his head, he knew Cordy had a big mouth but she had promised him that she would keep this a secret, he felt like wringing her neck "What do you want Spike?" His tone was harsh; he wasn't in the mood for a fight.

Spike pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow towards his luminous hair "Believe it or not, I want to help you and the little bit, she wouldn't last long in the big house… and I don't think I could handle your pathetic looking puppy dog eyes and brooding face"

He laughed and punched Angels shoulder playfully, Angel let a half smile tug at his lips "Spike, I need to know that I can trust you…" his face then went serious, he stared into his friends eyes, searching for the truth, he didn't want to trust him for it to blow up in his face.

Spikes gaze never left his "You can, I don't want anything to happen to you or to Buffy… " He then raised his voice so she could hear "We'll take care of everything, nothing bad will happen" he smirked at the glare from Angel, then left through the front door.

Buffy took the steps down the stairs very slowly, she could tell that Spike was serious about the protection but she'd rather not have anyone else be involved in the situation. Angel jumped as she ran her arms around his waist, for a second he had forgotten she was here as he was deep in thought.

"Buff, I promise nothing bad will happen… I won't let it" he kissed the top of her head then kissed her gently, he ran his fingers through her hair "I've just realised that you don't have any other clothes than the ones in the washer…"

Buffy only shrugged "I didn't take much in the first place… it's okay, I can't afford to shop just now" she pouted and looked to the ground, being from an affluent family meant she could shop till she dropped, now she could barely pay for food.

Angel tilted her head back "I'm buying" she shook her head in protest so he kissed her so she wouldn't say anything, not like she would be able to change his mind on the matter "tomorrow we'll head out of town to get some things"

He could see how grateful she was through her green doe eyes, he kissed her forehead then her nose then settled on her mouth. Buffy ran her arms around his neck to pull him close, the kiss didn't last for long before she started crying.

Angel petted her hair, trying his best to sooth her. He didn't know why she was crying but didn't want to force her into answering if she wasn't ready to tell him. He felt her fingers dip deep into his shoulders "What's wrong?"

"Why are you doing this?" his brows drew together in confusion "Why are you being so kind? You've done more than enough; it's not worth hurting your career… I'm not worth risking everything you have…"

Angel shook his head "Buffy, I don't care about what would happen to my career… I don't want to lose you again, you _are_ worth it, you have to realise that you are" he used his thumbs to wipe away the tears on her face.

"Go to bed and relax, I'll bring us some food up, it's been a long day" he kissed her quickly then nudged her towards the stairs; Buffy stifled a giggle then headed up to the bedroom.

Oooooooooooooo

Early the next morning they got into Angels car and headed towards the gas station, Buffy placed large sunshades on to conceal her face as she entered the station to grab some water then pay for the gas.

Hastily she jumped back in the passenger seat, she glared at him because he hadn't drove off immediately, Angel rolled his eyes then started the engine "you running back and me driving off would look a bit suspicious, don't you think?"

This time Buffy rolled her eyes "Well, I don't want to get caught" she relaxed in the seat as he made his way onto the main road out of Sunnydale and towards the next City, they had decided that LA wasn't an option for their trip.

Angel let his free hand cover hers to give it a squeeze "Just relax" he smiled over at her as she linked her fingers through his. His eyes went back onto the road as they drove further away from their hometown.

Although she was used to spending a lot on anything she wanted, she felt strange – she had no problem using her dad's credit card but with it being Angel's money, she didn't want to go overboard. Any time he caught her looking at something it would go straight in the basket.

They had been in every store in the mall and bought at least one item from each shop, no matter how hard she tried to protest, he didn't want to hear of it. They placed the items in the trunk of the car then walked across the road to the small restaurant.

The waitress escorted them to a booth at the end of the row then handed them the menu, Buffy's eyes raked over al l the options, she was hungry but didn't know what to pick "It all looks so good" she frowned at her indecisiveness.

Angel chuckled, he handed both the menus back to the waitress and placed both their orders, Buffy raised her eyebrow at him to which he smiled "You'll like it" his hand went under the table to reach hers and he linked his fingers through hers, his thumb rubbing her skin gently.

Buffy blushed a little, he was being sweet, it made her a little self conscious; she had never been on a proper date before, of course this technically wasn't a date but she wanted to call it one.

They chatted about anything and everything, it wasn't awkward but it was nice. They only stopped speaking when the waitress handed them their food, tentatively she stabbed the pasta dish with her fork then took a bite; he wasn't lying when he said she would like it, it tasted amazing.

"You were right" he didn't reply but the smug look on his face said it all, she threw him a dirty look playfully then dug straight back into her meal. Once they had finished they paid the bill and made their way out.

As they crossed the street a man bumped into Buffy, his hands came around her arms to steady her. Even though he apologised to her she felt uneasy, the way his cold eyes raked over her, scrutinising her features, made her feel sick.

She watched as he crossed the road then headed towards the car that was parked near the corner of the street, she grabbed onto Angels hand securely. He looked down at her; she just shook her head then sped up so she could get to the car quickly.

Oooooooooooooo

He had been on the phone for around 15 minutes listening to the information that he had just been given about Buffy Summers, not Anne but Buffy. Parker slammed his fist against the table top; he didn't like what he had been told.

Ethan had informed him that he had found her in Sunnydale but followed her and a man out of town; he took pictures of the two of them then used his laptop to do research. Buffy was a bit tricky initially due to the pseudonym but the man was easy.

Being an ex-cop and a cyber genius, Ethan hacked into the facial recognition software and found all details on Angel, his life history and his current occupation. That then led onto the slower search for _Anne_.

Parker had to come up with a plan to extract or execute Buffy; she was a liability because she knew too much. He had called her parents house pretending to be a good friend, when they said she hadn't been there in weeks and sounded like they didn't care, he had to think of another way to get close to her.

His cold and calculating brain rejoiced as he came up with the perfect idea. He leaned back in his chair and smirked, he now had to plan when he would attack.


	9. Chapter 9

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><p>Over the next couple of days Spike came over to the house to discuss with Angel what they would do. Luckily Giles hadn't pushed the fact that her finger prints were found at the scene, it looked as if even he was hiding that from the LA office.<p>

The news channels still brought up the fact that Faith had escaped and hadn't yet been found. The two other men who were left at the scene had remained quiet, one was still in the hospital with injuries under lockdown and even he didn't give any information.

Buffy froze in the kitchen as she heard the door being knocked on, she didn't have time to run upstairs as she could her Giles soft accent floating through the house as he let himself in. she didn't know what else to do, so she hid behind the door.

Giles shouted on Angel again, he peeked his head through the kitchen door "Angel?" he placed his hand over his heart when Angel tapped his shoulder "Oh, you startled me!"

Angel smirked at him "What brings you here, Giles?" he walked back into the living room so that Giles would follow him, the only other room that was attached to the kitchen was a utility room, so Buffy wouldn't be able to hide elsewhere.

"Well, it seems the boys over at LA want full access to all of our records, I've tried to hold off as long as I can… this won't go well…" he looked sadly at the younger man, he knew this meant that Buffy would have to be handed over.

Angel swallowed a lump in his throat "Isn't there anything you can do? Those prints may have been there for a while, you know that's possibly true" he was clutching at straws but he didn't want to give her up.

Giles sighed, he knew that Buffy wasn't a hardened criminal, he had known her pretty much her full life but she was an accessory "What else am I meant to do Angel?"

"Remove her prints from the files, send them everything, let them take over" his eyes hardened on his bosses, he wasn't messing around, tampering with evidence was a serious offence but that was the only link to her, nothing else.

Giles looked passed Angel then sighed; Buffy had come into sight, her eyes glistening with tears. It pained him that he would be sending her to jail, she looked positively frightened.

Angel turned to see what he was looking at, Buffy stood in the doorway, her arms protectively hugging her body and her face wet with tears, he pleaded with his boss "Don't do this" he went over to his love and pulled her close.

He hugged her tightly as sobs racked her tiny body "Giles, you can't send her away" he could feel sick rising within him as Giles stayed quiet, he kissed the top of her hair to soothe her, never breaking eye contact with him.

Giles sighed; Angel was like a son to him; seeing the fierce look in his eyes as he protected the girl made him feel proud but sad at the same time. How she managed to find herself mixed up in this mess he didn't understand.

Taking one last look at the pair he turned to the door "I'll remove them, you best hope that there is no more evidence with the LA office, or it'll be all our heads" he left without saying anything more and closed the door.

Angel breathed a sigh of relief; he hushed Buffy from crying and repeated himself when he said everything was going to be okay.

Oooooooooooooo

Buffy sighed and relaxed against his warm body, she had spent most of the day crying on Angels shoulder and wanted to de-stress. A smile tugged at her lips as she felt his fingers draw lazy patterns on her stomach.

Angel kept his eyes closed as he kissed his way along her neck; she was resting her back against his chest, happily accepting his embrace as they sunk into the matress. All he wanted was for her to relax; she had been tense since Giles had left.

She shifted her position so she could look at him, his deep brown eyes were filled with passion; her stomach flipped in excitement. Her hand framed his face as she placed a kiss on his lips, he squeezed her as the kiss grew deeper.

Buffy pulled away and sighed "if things go wrong… I will hand myself over" she cut him off before he could reply and shook her head "Angel this is not up for discussion, I'm a big girl I can handle my mistakes… I was naïve to think that nothing would have went wrong by going to Parkers house"

She held his gaze, her eyes imploring him to just deal. Angel ran his thumb over her lips and nodded in agreement, he didn't like the idea but he didn't know what else to do. Buffy forced a smile, she could tell he wasn't pleased but at least he wasn't arguing with her.

Angel picked up her small frame and spun her so she was straddling his thighs; he ran his fingers up and down her spine, kissing her lightly "Buff" she pressed her fingers to his lips silencing him then kissed him back, her tongue pushing its way inside his mouth.

He stifled a groan as she ground herself against him; he felt her teeth tug on his bottom lip then nip down his neck. He winced as she bit his collarbone hard; Buffy yanked his head back to kiss him with enough force to bruise their lips.

Although he didn't mind a bit of roughness he didn't want every encounter to be like that, the last and only time they had been intimate it wasn't exactly delicate. He pulled her away from him to stop the assault on his mouth before he would change his mind.

Buffy frowned at the interruption but didn't need to ask why as he kissed her this time excruciatingly slow. He took his time to savour her taste, he could spend all day kissing her like this.

Angel slid his hands over her ass to hoist her in the air as he spun them around, placing her softly where he had just situated. His hand stayed on her hip to keep her in place, to stop her from trying to rush things.

One thing he had always wanted was when they would eventually be together was for him to lavish her body in kisses and treat her as she should be, he didn't regret how they had been the last time but he wanted to make sure this time she knew how beautiful she was.

Buffy bit her lip as he trailed wet kisses from her neck and down her stomach, she could tell that he wanted to take this slow and that was something she had never experienced. Throughout her history with men, they all got what they wanted then left nothing sweet or special about it.

His hands roamed over her body leaving nothing without his touch, his fingers touched her gently as he took her in a passionate kiss. Buffy whimpered as he focussed all his attention on her, usually she would be the one who would have to be in control with little done to her.

Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close as he inched his way inside, his rhythm was steady and loving, the more she thought about it the more upset she became; this was all new to her.

Angel stopped thrusting when he felt her shudder, not from his touch but from stifling tears "What's wrong?!" he ran his thumb over her lip and waited for her to look at him, he felt a little panicked in case he had hurt her.

She blinked away the damp in her eyes as she looked into his, all she could see was love; a smile spread over her face as she nuzzled his nose with her own "Nothing's wrong…" she kissed him gently then whispered in his ear "everything's perfect"

He stared deep into her eyes to see if she was telling the truth and that's all he found, he lifted her thighs urging her to wrap her legs around his waist. He built up his pace until he was driving into her deep, causing them both to be pushed over the edge.

Oooooooooooooo

Although Giles had assured her that her fingerprints weren't being included in the files for the LA Office she was still at unease being out in the streets of Sunnydale. It was a warm day, being a total sun child; she wanted to be outside enjoying it.

Angel had convinced her to come outside, still being on suspension he had no plans for the day ahead other than spending it with her. He entwined his fingers through hers as they walked down the main street past the cinema.

Buffy leaned into him and smiled, despite her situation and the possible trouble coming her way things seemed as if they were starting to turn. She couldn't care less about her family as they didn't care about her; all she cared about was him.

The things he made her feel, about herself, about him and them, made her come to realise that maybe she was capable of love… and that she loved him and wanted to be with him. She knew how he felt about her because he told her; she had yet to say anything.

She wanted to tell him she loved him but didn't know when would be the right time, because it was all brand new, she didn't want to blurt it out; she wanted it to be special and in the right moment.

"What?" Angel smiled down at her; he sensed her staring at him for the past couple of minutes without saying anything to him, he saw her cheeks flush with embarrassment then she turned away with a giggle.

Angel pulled Buffy against him swiftly, kissing her lovingly. She ran her hands over his chest then around his waist to pull him into a tight hug, she wanted to tell him there and then but chickened out of it at the last minute "…nothing"

A large dog came bounding out of nowhere causing her to yelp, she wasn't afraid of dogs necessarily – but the size of the beast caused her to pull Angel with her as she jumped. Her heart raced as it ran passed her, chasing a cat that had shot past them beforehand.

Buffy let out a nervous laugh but it was short lived as they heard popping, then the window behind them smashed. Angel knew the sound off by heart; he pushed Buffy so she was lying behind the parked car, out of range of the bullets.

She hit the ground with a thud and felt Angel fall on top of her, those where the same sounds of guns being fired that she'd heard the night of the siege – so she knew they were under fire and not part of a prank.

The crowds around them erupted in chaos; there were no more shots as a car sped off and the spectators around screaming in panic.

Buffy opened her eyes and looked at Angel; the relief on her face fell as she saw him grimace in pain, her eyes flicked down to his chest. The white tank he was wearing was stained deep red; blood was seeping from the wounds he had suffered.

"Angel?!" she touched his face in panic, repeating his name. It looked like he was trying to speak to her yet there was no sound. It felt like the wind had been knocked out of her, she tried to yell for help but couldn't find the words.


	10. Chapter 10

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><p>"What the fuck did you do?!" he slammed her against the wall in rage "Why didn't you kill Buffy fucking Summers?!" his cold black eyes bore right through her, furious with her for altering his plans.<p>

Faith wasn't intimidated by Parker so she smirked at him, she always loved a bit of rough play "Hell, why kill her quick when we can kill that cop she's with and watch her die slowly baby" she rubbed herself against his groin.

Parker ground his teeth together as her hand squeezed him through his jeans, he thrust his hips urging her on "You better hope she doesn't bring us down…" he tore her hand away and slammed her head against the wall "I go down, you die"

He shook his head in rage and struck her across the face, Faith rubbed her cheek in frustration, she thought her idea was much better; Buffy was far too quiet to go and rat them out, killing the tasty specimen she was all over seemed more appropriate.

When she got the call that they were going after the traitor, she wanted to be the one who would pull the trigger; after all if it wasn't for the doe eyed bitch and Sunny-_hell _then she wouldn't be on the run, she would be chilling in her mansion without a care in the world.

Surprisingly enough it hadn't took them long to find their target, she lay in wait in the parked car. If it wasn't for that damn dog scaring her, Buffy would have been D.O.A; seeing her response to her saviour; that's when it occurred to her to target him.

Faith took a drink of the whiskey that Parker had left of his desk, _fuck it_, she didn't get to see the terror on Summers' face but she could tell by the vast amount of blood that she had hit her target well, a smirk rose on her lips, no one messes with her.

Oooooooooooooo

Everything went past in a blur, the paramedics, the flashing lights, admittance to the Emergency Ward and Angel being carted off on a gurney through the doors to the operating room.

They had spoke in riddles in the ambulance, whenever she tried to gain information they would speak in medical lingo, leaving her dumbstruck and annoyed. She didn't want them to lose focus on treating Angel but she wanted to know what was happening.

Her entire body felt like it was on fire yet at the same time it felt like she was in the middle of an ice bath; her skin was overheating but somehow there were chills that ran up and down her spine. She wanted to throw up but knew that she couldn't.

It felt surreal; they had had a perfect morning, when she woke up in his arms she never imagined that this would happen. That something so horrific could have transpired and now she didn't know what would happen beyond tonight.

She had been alone in the waiting room for 20 minutes, sitting in silence, not even making a sound as she cried. Buffy jumped as she felt arms encircle her "What happened?!" she blinked to clear the fog in her brain as she took in the scared face of Angels older sister.

"B-Blood… lots of blood…" she inhaled deeply, a sob escaping her lips "S-s-Shot, he was shot" Buffy looked down at her bloodstained clothes then viewed her hands that were tainted red.

Cordelia covered her mouth with her hand, she had today off so wasn't in the hospital when he was admitted, she received the call only moments ago, luckily she was nearby but they wouldn't tell her the situation. Even when she tried to gain entry to the O.R she was denied because it was family.

They both heard the door go so they spun around quickly thinking that it was a Doctor but it was Spike and Giles. Both men rushed to the girls and took them into a hug; Giles ran his hand over Buffy's arm to sooth her "Do you know what happened?"

Buffy stared straight ahead, not daring to look into their eyes; her voice came out in a hoarse whisper "We were out enjoying the sun, then there was gun fire… if it hadn't been for A… him, I would have been hit"

She stifled a sob "I KNOW I was the target… its… all… my… fault" this time when she cried she let out a heart wrenching wail, her body shuddered from the severity of her tears. Cordelia had fire in her eyes as she slapped Buffy.

"Of course it's damn well your fault! You got involved with them and led them straight to Angel! If my baby brother didn't have a goddamn hero complex then he would have let you rot in jail where you belong!" she tried to slap her again but Spike pulled her away and shushed her.

Buffy's face burned white hot from the mark that Cordy had left on her skin; she was shocked but expected it to happen. Tears ran down her face but she knew she had to grow a backbone and deal with the situation all by herself.

"I know! I know they're here because of me, I didn't want this… I wanted to give myself up but he didn't want to because he loves me!" Buffy saw the sadness wash over Cordy's face then she continued "he LOVES me and he could be dying…no one has ever loved me like he does… and I love him SO much and he doesn't even know"

Buffy sank to the floor when she started crying again, Cordelia felt a little guilty for slapping her, she was still angry with her but she knew that he loved her, she had tried many times to get him to admit it but he wouldn't.

Cordy got on the floor with Buffy and pulled her into a hug, rocking her softly. Her fingers dug into her shoulders as she pulled her closer "I feel like I can't breathe…" she let out another heart-wrenching cry as Cordelia shielded her face from the others in the room.

Giles stood over in the corner along with Spike, neither of them said anything; truthfully they didn't know what to say to comfort themselves or the two most important females in his life.

Oooooooooooooo

Cordelia ran her hand over Buffy's hair; she had fallen into a troubled sleep, lying across the hard plastic seats in the waiting room. Seeing how innocent she looked, especially in sleep made her hate Buffy's father more as time went on.

Working in this very hospital with him, she thought that his child was just a troublemaker, of course Angel would always defend her but seeing her like this, she began to see how destructive Hank was to the little girl in front of her.

Speak of the Devil, Hank walked out from the forbidden corridor that led to the Operating Room, he glanced at Cordelia then looked surprised as he found Buffy asleep on the seats. Cordy nudged Buffy awake; she blinked her eyes and fixed a cold glare on her father.

"Cordy, he was struck three times, once in the abdomen, once in his shoulder and the last in his chest, despite major blood loss major arteries and organs were missed… if the bullet entered two centimetres to the left then his Aorta would have been severed"

He looked at his child then tore his gaze away, feeling uncomfortable with the hatred he could see "He's still critical and has been moved to the I.C.U, he's not out of the woods, these next few days will be important, only time will tell… room is restricted to two at a time please"

Cordy nodded at Buffy, who followed her. She breezed past her father without looking at him, whatever he was going to say died on his lips.

They entered the hallway slowly, the heart rate monitor beeped steadily; there was various drips and an oxygen tube place across his face and into his nostrils. Being a doctor herself, this was something she was used to, but with it being her brother she let out a cry.

Buffy remained outside of the room allowing Cordy to have a moment with him. Cordy placed her hand on Buffy's shoulder as she came out and headed in the direction of Hank's office, most likely to discuss more on his care.

"Angel?!" she whispered then bit her lip to stop if from quivering, Buffy inhaled deeply to steady her nerves, she didn't want to breakdown again. She counted to three then stepped closer to him.

Like usual his brow was furrowed in his sleep, he rarely looked at peace. Buffy ran her knuckles over his cheek and placed a kiss on his forehead, she had once been told that in deep sleep the brain would still recognise words but she didn't know what to say to him.

Giles knocked on the door then came in when signalled, his heart clenched at the sight before him. Angel was always like a son to him and knew of the love he had for the girl, seeing her torn up like she was made it all more gut-wrenching.

"I have to do it…" he looked over to Buffy as he wasn't sure what she meant, she kept her eyes on Angel lying on the hospital bed "I can't let them get away with this Giles, I'll testify, I'll bring them down, even if it means I'm locked away…"

She finally looked at the older man, every emotion played out on her face but determination and revenge were most prominent "I love him and if anything happens… I'll never forgive myself"

Giles nodded silently, he knew it was the best thing to do, he didn't want Buffy to go to jail but with her being essentially an _inside man_ then they could get a better sentence when it went to court.

Buffy kissed Angel one last time and followed Giles out of the room, she bypassed her father and shrugged him off when he tried to hug her, she didn't respond to him as he called her name. Giles wrapped his arm around her and escorted her to his car.

Oooooooooooooo

Spike kissed Coredlia softly as she wrapped her arms around him; what Angel or anyone for that matter didn't know was that they had been seeing each other for months and were in love. He squeezed her tight.

"He'll pull through" he didn't know if he was saying it to reassure her or himself, Angel was like a brother to him, at first he felt it was wrong to be messing around with his sister but when he fell in love with her, he knew it was right.

Cordy nodded gently "he's strong, he's a fighter… his love for her will help him pull through" she ran her fingers through his bleached hair, smoothing it down from when he had messed it up in a panic to get to the hospital.

Spike kissed her forehead tenderly; Giles and Buffy came out from the I.C.U and headed towards the exit, at that point in time they didn't care if they were found out; given the circumstances if was irrelevant.

He tugged her hand to stop her from following and shook his head. Cordy frowned then wiped a tear away then let him pull her back into a hug; they watched the pair leave, knowing full well what was about to happen.


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks for the reviews! Only1ToniD; glad you're liking this :).**

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><p>Before they headed to the station they had swung past Angel's house and grabbed her back pack that contained some information on the gang from LA. At the time she thought it was a load of nonsense but she realised it <em>could<em> help.

Giles led her into the interrogation room, set up the camera and read her, her rights. Buffy understood what she was about to do, all she wanted was for the proceedings to take place and get them all locked up for years.

They sat down as comfortably as they could on the rigid plastic chairs, Giles handed Buffy a cup of coffee and she began. She started from the beginning; how she met Parker, her pseudonym, circumstances that led her to going back to him and what followed.

She named all the key players from whom she could remember and all the deals that involved her, she accepted full responsibility but stated that it was in fear of her life that she had agreed to go along with them.

The information that was stored in her bag was catalogued into their records; it was damning evidence against Faith and of Parker. Buffy broke down when she described the most recent plans and the things he made her do, her insides retching as she relived it.

Giles switched off the camera then patted her shoulder, his kind accent soothing her "Thank you Buffy, it means a lot… times may become difficult, but I'll do my utmost best to ensure that you are not locked away for any length of time"

He rubbed her back soothingly, he could feel the muscles in her shoulders gradually loosen then she sat upright "What happens from here?" her big doe eyes were glassy and full of fear, she didn't want to be in jail but if she had too then so be it.

Giles took his glasses off his face and cleaned them in a hurry; he shook his head; although she had just given crucial evidence they would have to detain her until at least the morning when the LA boys got involved "I'm sorry Buffy"

She let out a cry and nodded, without saying anything she extended her arms out and winced as the cold metal of the cuffs were snapped around her dainty wrists. Giles escorted her down to the cells at the back of the department.

"This is also for your own safety; until they are caught we can't have you without protection… this way we can keep an eye on you, like I said, I'll do my best" he locked the gate to her temporary abode and took the cuffs off her when she put her wrists through the bars.

"I'll see you in the morning" she forced a weak smile in reply then lay down on the bed in the corner of the cell; Giles took one last glance at her and left. He rubbed the back of his neck in worry, he would try his best but it would be no guarantee.

Oooooooooooooo

Hank walked back into Angel's room, he read over his vitals and updated the chart. This was something one of the junior doctors or nurses could have updated but he wanted to speak to Cordelia; who hadn't left his side since he came in.

"Cordy, how's my princess?" he shrunk back at her vicious glance and manic laugh "What? She's been missing, then shows up involved in a shooting?" he frowned at the thought, if it came out that it was his daughter he'd have a hard time showing face.

Cordelia smiled widely "Cut the act Hank, you don't care about her… all you care about is if she'll ruin your perfect image" she shook her head "your daughter is a smart, beautiful young woman who doesn't even know it because of you!"

Hank was about to interrupt but she raised her hand "No, she's had too much to deal with lately without you preying upon her vulnerability, stay away from her, me and my brother care for and will always be there for her, especially with the shit storm that's about to happen"

Her eyes pierced through him causing him to high-tail it out of the room, Cordy let out a puff of breath that she didn't know she was holding in. Spike who had remained silent during the altercation smirked at her.

"Well, well, you little spitfire who can actually… spit _fire_" he let out a chuckle as she swatted his stomach playfully then took her into a searing kiss "Proud of you pet, that wanker deserved all and much more"

Cordy leaned against him and closed her eyes, she loved putting Hank in his place but with everything else going on, the wind in her sails died down leaving her feeling exceedingly tired. Spike wrapped his arms around her lovingly "Get some rest"

He felt her nod against his chest but he sighed when she went to the seat beside her brother's unconscious body and took his hand in hers. Cordy glared playfully at Spike then placed her head on the bed to try and get some sleep.

Oooooooooooooo

Getting things arranged with the LA office was taking longer than expected, Giles received an ear bashing from the Captain for leaving out the involvement of Buffy but with being long time friends with him, he understood and accepted why they had done what they done.

It would take a couple of days to pile all the evidence against the gang before they could take them down. Luckily one of the men that the LA dept. were tailing happened to be the one who had stupidly bought the rental car that was involved in Angels shooting.

Spike read through the reports and smiled, wouldn't be long before they would be arrested; due to the nature of the gang, once they were under arrest the court proceedings would start straight away rather than being dragged out for months.

He picked up the tray of food and made his way down to the cell block in the department, he knocked against the bars stirring her out of her sleep "Wakey, Wakey Buffy, your breakfast is served" he bowed playfully then smirked.

Buffy smiled then accepted the tray from him "Thank you" she sat on the edge of her bed and took a bite of the toast from the small selection of food on the plate.

"Still no update… he's still the same, not woken up yet" he saw her head fall and shoulders square off, it hurt him thinking of it but at least he could go see him, she was locked in here, not able to "You know how stubborn he is, he's just taking an extended nap"

Buffy turned round to look at him, although he was being playful she could see in his eyes that he didn't believe that; something deep inside was terrified in case it was a lie "I, uh…" she didn't know what to say so she turned back to her food in silence.

Spike tapped his knuckles off the bars in thought; he wanted to say something to make them both feel better but didn't know what. He took one last glance at her then left her alone.

Oooooooooooooo

Word came through that they had compiled their case and they were now in the process of rounding them all up, all the key players and even they had managed to get a hold of Faith as well. Giles felt his stomach drop – it now meant that Buffy would have to be transferred to LA for the upcoming trials.

It sickened him as he tightened the cuffs around Buffy's wrists, he took it upon himself to travel with her and sort out her proceedings. Strangely enough Hank stepped up and produced one of the finest lawyers around to take on her case.

They made the trip to LA in silence, although she had requested to visit Angel in the hospital it had been denied by the higher bosses. Her heart clenched as the sign for the city boundary came and passed, there was still no change but she hadn't seen this for herself.

Giles ushered her into a new cell in the LA department then made his way to the Captains office, they had been friends for many a years; they both concluded that they would fight all charges and try for a lesser sentence; this too coming from her lawyer due to her co-operation.

One by one all the bosses of the LA crime ring were having their day in court, all a circus and highly publicised; Buffy was dreading having to face them again, Giles had been keeping her updated on the proceedings.

She sat in the interrogation with her lawyer and the District Attorney, although she knew she should be listening she couldn't care less; every time they spoke it was dull and boring and never actually to do with her and her freedom.

Buffy blinked and looked to the D.A, he smiled at her, knowing that she hadn't been listening to them a moment ago "I Said, Miss Summers, we are agreeing to take forward to the courts a plea bargain… as you have been so kind with your information…"

All she could do was nod, like that meant anything to her. He stood up and shook hands with her lawyer "see you in court shortly" she looked around in confusion; she didn't think she would be facing the courts this early.

Her lawyer patted her on the back and escorted her out, she was given a suit to change into which she did hastily – changing into anything that wasn't itchy and unflattering was a godsend. They made their way to the court and waited until they were called, she was surprised to find that it wasn't a media circus like she had heard the others to be.

The Judge entered the chamber and began his speech; it took a lot for her not to zone out again, his tone was monotonous and he went in to far too much detail for her liking. After only half an hour she was pulled to her feet, fear crept its way inside.

"Due to the complex nature of why you're here Miss Summers, we are being lenient by classifying this as a low Misdemeanour… Based on the plea bargain submitted by your lawyer, the jury has decided to grant this; you will receive a suspended sentence and be placed under house arrest for at least 6 month"

The Judge nodded to them and finished off his speech about the terms of her 'freedom' before leaving the chamber, Buffy blinked harshly; she was guilty but not going to jail? Her lawyer pulled her into a hug and led her out of the courtroom and passed the solitary photographer waiting outside.

"Essentially you're free Miss Summers… we have paperwork we have to do then you're pretty much free to go back home, Mr Giles will escort you" she was escorted back to the Police Department and was greeted with a hug from Giles.

She was unsure of what to say, she was guilty but free? "We'll be taking you home soon Buffy, aren't you glad?!" she looked at the older man and gave him a genuine smile; she was glad, she wouldn't have to deal with that lot any more.

Buffy let out a chuckle and shook her head "I… I don't know what to say" she shrugged in wonder, a strange feeling came over her. Although she didn't know what to say, she knew what she wanted to do and that was go and see Angel.

It had been eighteen days since she had last seen him, since she had last kissed him or spoken to him. Even if he was still unconscious she would feel a lot better at being able to hold his hand. Their separation had been far too long for her liking.

In comparison to most court cases that she'd heard of, those trials took months or even years to come to court and start proceedings. Whether it was luck on her side or just the fates playing a magnificent hand, she didn't know but was grateful none-the-less.

As she was talking to her lawyer she saw Giles answer a call he had received, her stomach clenched as she could hear crying from the other end. As he faced her she paled, her heart rate sped up and she felt like throwing up as he whispered "…Angel.. h-he…"


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks for the reviews!; this will be the penultimate chapter :)**

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><p>The sound of the waves sloshing against the sand, the sun making its descent bringing forward twilight and the sand between her toes made her sigh with contentment. It had been a long six months and she was finally free of constriction.<p>

Buffy wriggled her toes deeper into the sand, this was something she always loved and was one of first things she wanted to do as her sentence was lifted. The full day had been spent at the beach, lying about in the sun.

She felt a lump rise in her chest at the thought of leaving, they would have to go back to Sunnydale any moment now but she didn't want to leave. Buffy ran her hand over her protruding bump lovingly "Your Daddy would have loved this…"

The sickness that came, she put down to everything that had happened and the fact that Parker staged a prison break but thankfully was unsuccessful; once she clicked onto the fact that she was late she panicked. Not that she didn't want a baby, it was just… a baby, _his _baby.

Buffy let out a sob, lately all she done was cry about _everything_. Cordelia came over to her and wrapped her arm around her shoulder "Whats wrong?!" she could see worry in Cordy's eyes so she smiled weakly, she didn't want to get into things right now.

Cordy escorted her to the car then drove off back in the Direction of Sunnydale. She probed Buffy to find out what was wrong but she remained quiet and eventually fell asleep on the way back home; it wasn't long before they reached the city limits of their home town.

"Buffy? Wake up we're almost home" Cordelia gave her a little nudge, she felt bad for waking her up but she had to, she wasn't strong enough to carry her inside if she remained sleeping. Buffy swatted at her hand and mumbled incoherently.

A few more nudges and she woke up, her eyes harsh on Cordelia's "Okay, I'm up…" she rubbed at her eyes "are you coming in?" Buffy pouted a little as the brunette shook her head, she pulled her hand away as Cordy tried to take it in hers in childish anger.

"Buffy, I can't; I'm on call tonight so I have to be at the hospital… I really want to come in, but I can't, you understand?!" they had grew close these past few months, the look that Buffy was giving her made her hate the fact that she had to leave.

Buffy knew she was acting like a child but she couldn't help it "Okay… Sorry" her green eyes pleaded with her friends hoping for one last attempt but it was unsuccessful. Cordy laughed and pulled her into a hug before she left the car.

"Take care, I'll see you tomorrow!" Buffy waved in reply then made her way slowly up to the house, taking care on the steps. The more her pregnancy progressed the more it appeared the steep incline was mocking her and making her waddle like a penguin.

The house was shrouded in darkness and complete silence, she hated silence. Buffy switched a lamp on then put the TV on and sunk into the couch along with a box of chocolates that she had bought that afternoon; chocolate was the latest craving.

She left the channel on a movie, not that she was paying much attention to the story line – all she knew was that it involved lovers torn apart, desperate to find each other again. It struck a chord with her; their pain was like her pain and before she knew it she was crying.

It wasn't before long that she lost track of what was happening in the movie, each sob shook her body every time she took a breath. Buffy jumped as she was pulled into a warm embrace "Baby, what's wrong?!"

Buffy crawled into his lap, her fingers clawing at his shirt for dear life and cried out loud, she tried to say what was wrong but struggled "t-they love e-each other s-so much… what i-if they are n-never t-together again?" she nuzzled her nose against his neck to inhale his scent to try and calm down.

No matter how upset she would get, that scent, his scent, it was like a magic elixir. Buffy took a few steadying breaths and eventually began to relax as her emotions levelled out, feeling the warmth of his body made her feel better.

Angel rolled his eyes as he caught sight of the movie that was on the TV, he rubbed soothing circles on her pregnant belly to hush her "Buff, it's just a movie…" when she glared at him he kissed her nose, he knew it wasn't just about the characters – it was about them too.

Oooooooooooooo

"…_Angel.. h-he…"_

_Buffy started to hyperventilate "he… he what?!" Giles never responded quick enough to her question so she pushed him to get him to hurry along with the answer. Even with all her strength behind her Giles barely moved from the spot._

"_Buffy" he had to grab her hands as her tiny fists started hitting his chest in fury "Buffy… Angel's awake! He… he's asking to see you!" she stopped her attack and began crying, he pulled her closer and petted her head "He's okay"_

_It confused her as to why the person on the other end had been crying, before she could ask Giles explained the situation "Cordelia was crying in relief! He's fine and brooding because he found out you turned yourself in!"_

_Buffy wiped her eyes and laughed, it was just like him. Almost on deaths door and pissed that she had done the right thing "Can we leave… please?!" her tone was insistent; luckily Giles had picked up on this so she didn't have to ask twice._

_She had requested several times for him to put the lights on and break all speed laws to get back to Sunnydale quicker to which he grunted and said that he would not break the law for her… again. As she saw the sign welcoming them back to Sunnydale she grinned manically._

_It didn't take long from the city limits to the hospital, the car had barely came to a halt before she had leapt from the passenger seat and ran her way to the I.C.U that housed the man she loved. Angel was sitting upright in the bed, arguing with Spike._

_Whatever their conversation was about didn't matter; she ran into the room and grabbed him in for a kiss. Angel let out a moan in pain as she leaned against his stitches, Buffy jumped then blushed at her show of affection and her stupidity "Sorry!"_

_His eyes dilated as he saw her, his last thought before being unconscious was of her safety and was the same as he woke up. All he could think of now was taking her into his arms; unfortunately the wounds disagreed with him on that._

_Buffy burst out in tears and hugged him again, this time with less of a death grip on him "Angel, I was so worried" Spike slid out of the room to give them some alone time which went unnoticed by the couple._

_Angel ran his hand over her hair and kissed her forehead "I'm not going anywhere" his voice was thick with emotion, it sounded as if he had came out of a deep sleep, technically he had, he kissed her on the lips savouring her taste._

_Buffy took his face in her hands so she could stare deep into his eyes, she almost lost the chance and she wouldn't make the same mistake again "the thought of losing you hurts too much, I love you… I love you so much"_

_He had waited for so long to hear her say those words, his heart swelled, he placed his hand on top of hers which rested upon his cheek "I love you too" he closed his eyes as she kissed him. There was nothing rushed or forced about it, it was almost innocent but meant the world to them._

Oooooooooooooo

He used his thumb to wipe away the tears from her face, he understood where she came from though; when he felt the bullets pierce through his skin he thought that would be it, he had already told her he loved her but they hadn't had the chance to be together for real.

"I'm not going anywhere" his words echoed that day back in the hospital, since then so much had happened, he had a long recovery and eventually went back to work. Of course, the biggest being the fact she was carrying his child.

He kissed her lightly, his fingers ran through her hair playing with it gently; not long after he had woken up she went back to her sun-kissed natural colour that he loved. Her eyes started to close with his soothing touch and she sighed.

"You missed the beach today, it was beautiful" Buffy opened her eyes to look at him sadly; she was upset that he wasn't able to join her or his sister; especially since it was a gorgeous day to spend by the ocean.

Angel sighed "I know, I wanted to be there but there was a raid that I had to command… especially with the promotions coming up, I want to make you proud" although he could see she understood and knew it was the best thing for him he still felt sad for missing her first time out.

Buffy smiled and stood up, pulling his arm as she walked towards the stairs "I'm always proud of you" her emotions went from one end of the spectrum to the other, at this point in time, thinking of him in the line of duty landed her in the turned on section.

Angel followed her up to their bedroom and knew her plans, most recently she was a little minx, her hormones being out of whack wasn't always pleasant but he knew it wouldn't be long before she was crawling up him for attention.

She pushed him so he sat on the edge of their bed and pulled her dress over her head, leaving her in only a pair of panties. Angel bit his lip as he palmed her enlarged breasts; this too was a positive in his mind.

Buffy let out a moan, her hands rested upon his shoulders to keep herself steady – her legs wobbled from his touch, every nerve ending on her was highly sensitive "A..ngel" she looked down to see love and adoration in his eyes.

He ran his hand down over her belly and placed a kiss on it, it still amazed him that his child was growing in there, making her look even more beautiful than ever. Initially when he found out she was pregnant he did wig out, especially as he walked in on her taking the at home test.

They yelled and argued about how this could have happened, Buffy reminded him that he had never used protection, he hit back that she should have been on something in the first place. _It was ugly_.

Once Buffy threatened to leave if it wasn't for the fact that she was under house arrest in _his_ home, then she would have left earlier. It was then he realised that he was acting irrational; he loved her and would love their child.

"I love you and the peanut" he kissed her belly then looked back up at her; her eyes had glazed over with unshed tears. She tipped his head back so she could press her lips to his; Angel shuffled back so he was sitting on the middle of the bed then chuckled.

Being as gracious as she could be, Buffy climbed onto the bed and sat beside him. She shot a glare in his direction; she knew how silly she looked and didn't want to be reminded of it "Hmm… I guess I love you too"

Angel shrugged feigning indifference then lay down, pulling her against his chest and palmed her belly softly "You love me…" playfully she scrunched up her nose in reply so he came down so his lips caressed hers "You. Love. Me"

His fingers travelled to her hips then tickled her lightly, Buffy squealed and swatted at him "Of course I love you" his digits stopped their onslaught on her skin so he could trace the features of her face with his fingertip.

Buffy puckered her lips to kiss his finger as he traced her lips, they didn't need to say anything further; all they wanted to say was conveyed through the emotions in their eyes. She grabbed his hand and placed it where the baby had just kicked, making them both beam with happiness.


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you for all the reviews; here is the last chapter!**

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><p>"How are you today my love?" Spike leaned over and kissed Cordelia passionately; she giggled and swatted his chest in fake protest.<p>

Cordy leaned her head against his chest "Perfect" she squeezed his hand with hers then looked down into the shooting range to watch her brother move with precision, shooting faux threats with deathly accuracy.

Buffy cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow at them, they had come clean about their relationship months ago but recently they had gotten engaged causing them to act even more repulsively soppy in public.

Spike rolled his eyes then nodded towards the route that Angel was on. It was a part of their proficiency testing, which they all went through but had became rigorous for the upcoming promotions at the department.

Buffy winced a little which didn't go unnoticed, Cordelia came over to her placing her hand on her lower back "You okay?!" Buffy nodded not wanting to cause a scene; her pregnancy was coming scarily close to being over.

Angel made his way round the course and exited once he had completed the assignment, Giles patted him on the back as he was disarmed "Well done, you have some of the best scores that this department has seen in years"

He wasn't that egotistical, but when someone complimented his skills it went straight to his head. He pulled off his Kevlar vest quickly and made his way to Buffy to tell her what he had just been told.

"Buffy?" his brow descending in his usual brooding fashion, she looked a little pale and in a bit of pain "What's wrong?!" he ran his hand over her forehead which was sticky with sweat, his stomach knotted anxiously.

As Buffy took a few steadying breaths Cordelia's eyes went wide as she repeated "Oh! Oh!" everyone turned to look at her questioningly "Buffy, how long have these pains been happening?" they all turned back to the panting blonde.

Buffy laughed nervously "Uh… since this morning?" she shrugged uncertainly as Cordy gasped.

"Buffy you're in labour!" Cordelia smiled widely as the men stood there awestruck "You. Are. In. Labour! We have to get you to the hospital!"

Angel shook his head "No, she still has over two weeks till her due date… she can't be" his gaze never left Buffy as she winced in pain, he tried to convince himself that it wasn't happening right now, that it must just be Braxton-hicks or something.

"No sweetie, she's in labour!" Cordy grinned madly and clapped her hands excitedly; her niece or nephew would be here, hopefully within the day for her to spoil rotten.

Buffy gripped onto her back from where a pain just shot from, earlier she thought that her waters may have broke but couldn't tell because she had been using the toilet, frequent urination was definitely a down side.

"Let's get you to the hospital!" Angel went to move her but she cried out and shook her head "We have to move Buff" she tried to swat at him

"I cant… I cant, it hurts too much" she slowly got down on the ground, propping her back against the wall, taking deeper breaths than she previously had. She kept her eyes shut and looked like she was reciting something to herself in silence.

Angel looked to his sister in concern; Cordy took off her jacket "Buffy, I'm going to have to check on you…" the blonde shook her head profusely "Buffy. I have to check that the baby's not in distress" that stopped all protests.

Unfortunately today had been the only day in the past two month that Buffy had chosen to wear stretchy pants and not a dress. Giles left the room to give them privacy as did Spike; Angel kneeled by her side, brushing the hair away from Buffy's face.

Once her pants and underwear came off Cordelia went into doctor mode, grabbing the small first aid kit to put on gloves and examined her, she gasped "Uh guys…" both Buffy and Angel looked at her in panic "the baby is on its way and I mean like right now"

Angel went to move but stopped when Cordelia placed her hand on his shoulder "I'm sorry baby brother but she's having the little one right now and she's having it right here… it's too dangerous to move her" Buffy cried out in pain and upset.

"Grab some more of those first aid kits and some blankets" there was no way she'd make it to a hospital, the closest one was a 40 minute drive over the other side of town. Cordy made a makeshift bed out of spare blankets and tarpaulin so Buffy could shift over ever so slightly.

Giles was on the phone to the ambulance to ensure that once the baby was here that they would be taken to the hospital for examination. Spike stood helplessly in the corner of the room; he didn't know how to help at all.

"Shortly I'm going to ask you to push once you feel a contraction and only one big push at the end of every one okay?" Buffy only nodded through the pain, Cordy propped Buffy's foot on her collarbone in preparation.

Angel sat behind Buffy's back so she was resting comfortably, allowing her to grip his hand with hers. As a contraction tore through her she took a vice like grip with his hand causing him to wince as well "Push!"

Buffy pushed hard, screaming with effort and with the pain that tore through her. Angel kissed her damp hair and whispered words to calm her down, to no avail he didn't succeed.

The contractions came harder and faster, Cordelia spurred her on and began to smile as the baby crowned "Come on Buffy, push, push!" doing as she was told, she pushed as hard as she could until she felt the pressure ease off.

A loud shriek engulfed the room as their baby was born and Buffy started to cry. Cordy checked over their child immediately before handing her over to her mom.

Buffy laughed through the tears as her newborn boy was placed against her chest "Hi!" she ran a fingertip lightly over his chubby cheek, Angel stared at him in awe.

"Would you like to do the honours?" Cordy handed him a pair of scissors that she had sterilised for him to cut the umbilical cord, he took them from her and cut through the spongy membrane. Cordelia used another piece of sterile equipment to tie off the cord temporarily.

Buffy looked from her son to her lover and smiled wide; Angel had the same look on his face as she did; one of pure love. He kissed her softly as he couldn't find his words.

Cordelia took a step back and snuggled against Spikes chest, watching the new parents fall completely in love. Giles rubbed his glasses excitedly then placed them back on his face just as they heard the ambulance pull up outside.

The paramedics took a look over Buffy and her son before helping her into the back of the van; Angel went in with them and only nodded as his sister agreed to meet them at the hospital. Cordelia took care of calling their mother to let her know that she had become a grandmother.

The doctors checked over them both, considering Buffy didn't have an epidural she was in good condition and was even able to walk around fine; her exam concluded that they were able to leave that night if they wished.

Angel held his son in his arms as his sister, mother and Giles entered the room to see them all "I'd like you to meet my son…" he turned so they could look at his little angelic face. The woman let out a moan of delight at the sight of him.

Spike looked at the little bit and smirked "What you gonna call him? I think Williams nice" he smirked as Angel rolled his eyes at the suggestion.

Buffy cleared her throat as she looked at the two most important men in her life "I… I want to name him Liam, after your father… if that's okay with you?" she knew how much of a role model his father was when he was alive, she hope he liked the suggestion.

Angel swallowed hard, it had been a long ten year since he had lost his father, his idol, his reason for being who he was today, he smiled widely as he looked down at his son, he loved the idea "Yeah, he looks like a Liam"

His mother put one arm around him to give him a small hug in acceptance of the name chosen for her grandson. Cordelia done the same at the other end, and bit her lip as she looked over to Spike. He could see baby fever in her eyes; he let out a nervous laugh then took a step back.

Liam let out a cry so Angel gave him back to Buffy, the baby settled down almost immediately as he lay upon her chest "he's so perfect… he looks just like you" she kissed his forehead then kissed Angel as he leaned over the bed towards her.

Their visitors left the room to give them some more privacy, Angel played with Buffy's hair as he stared down at his son "Nah, I'd say he looks like you…" she peeked up at him then shook her head, all she could see was Angel in him.

"Angel… we have a son!" she smiled widely then cooed at Liam as he babbled up at her.

Angel kissed her hair tenderly, it still amazed him that only hours ago he was inside her tummy and now his boy was babbling and trying to look at them as they spoke to him "Yeah, we do" he grinned like a madman as he looked down at his son.

Buffy closed her eyes and sighed contentedly, she would never have imagined that her life would turn out so well and have such a perfect child. All of the pain and the hurt from the past seemed like a distant memory to her now.

Her family, yes, _her _family was what she lived for now, she would never let herself get into trouble like she had done in the past, that pain was gone and all she had now was happiness and love, love for Angel and for their son.


End file.
